Collision
by Iwillbelieveit
Summary: "Love is dangerous." That's what his father taught him. Despite this, he still fell for her and still continued to protect her with his life. But he built walls to protect himself from getting hurt. But his world has already collided with the very different world she belongs to. When Dan and Zoe's hearts collide, Dan is forced to question everything his father taught him.
1. Walls

For as long as I can remember, my father's way of punishing me was to hit me.

Broke a window?

_Slap._

Swore in front of Grandma?

_Punch._

Stay out late?

_Kick._

Got attitude?

Well, you get the idea. Most people would say he's a bad father. I never did think that, even from a young age. I just thought he was doing his job as my father, teaching me what I needed to know so that I could survive out in the real world. Sure, it wasn't the way most people taught their children. It was harder and harsher.

But then I'd become harder and I'd be able to withstand more.

There was one lesson that I learned when I was really young. I must've been eight when he taught it to me.

He taught me that love was a weakness. That love would get you killed.

And from an early age, I accepted that. I knew that because my mother had died when I was a baby in the place of my father and she had done that because she loved us. Love caused her downfall.

With that knowledge, I accepted that love was dangerous. It was no better than a murderous maniac and every time I even _begun _to forget that lesson, I would look at my arms, covered in purple and green and yellow bruises and immediately know that my father was right.

Because it had taken thirty years for my father to learn that lesson. And I had gotten it for free at eight years old.

I never questioned it, even as a child.

Until I met Zoe.

Immediately, I knew there was something different about her. I knew that if I wasn't careful, I would come to fall in love with her, to be wrapped around her finger like a ring.

So at first I distanced myself from her, pretending that I couldn't bring myself to trust her. But when she refused to go with the Grand Master, and when she jumped between Frank and that laser, I couldn't keep pretending to hate her guts.

So I didn't distance myself from her anymore, but I made sure to put walls up between us. It was easy, at first. I'd been putting walls up for years, so I had that practise to fall back on.

But Zoe . . . I'd been right when I said she was different. She didn't full on attack the walls I put up for myself, to protect me. She didn't try to destroy it with her bare hands, like most girls did.

She tried to get me to pull them down myself.

And eventually, I started to succumb to her insistence and what she wanted. Each day, I'd slowly remove one brick.

And I pinned it all down to her innocence. She'd had a difficult life too, but she dealt with it differently. She dealt with pain in an entirely different way. When I was in pain, I pushed people away. Zoe did the opposite. She sought comfort from the people she trusted, from her best friends. I'd always thought she was pretty, but when I saw how beautiful how soul was, it just made her outside beauty even more so.

It was just after the incident with William Todd-Williams when I told my dad that I was in danger of falling in love with Zoe. Even as I was telling him, I knew I was making the worst mistake of my life.

And I was right.

When I finished, he shoved me off the chair I was sitting on so I fell on my back onto the wooden floor, staring up at him as he roared, "STUPID BOY! WHAT DID I TEACH YOU?!"

"Love is dangerous." I replied softly.

"AND YET YOU LOVE HER!"

"Yes."

And then he proceeded to give me the worst beating I'd ever gotten.

He shouldn't have wasted his energy.

Because after that, I started to fall harder and faster than before.

The day that Steinberg tried to put Mastermind's consciousness into Zoe's body, I must've removed about two layers of bricks from my wall in my effort to get to her.

It was only after did I realise what I'd done, what was happening to me. I realised that I had fallen for her, so I started to distance myself from her again.

But it was harder this time because every part of me wanted to hold her, wanted to kiss her.

But I couldn't do that.

I just couldn't.

* * *

"Are you okay, Dan?" Zoe asked gently. It was about two weeks after the events of Sternum and I'd been distancing myself from her ever since, making sure to never to be alone in the same room with her, unless we were on a mission.

Until now.

I stopped my relentless pounding of the punching bag in front of me, focusing on the throbbing pain in my knuckles.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I told her, shoving the punching bag away, watching as it swung precariously.

"If you say – what the hell is that?" Zoe nearly yelled as I turned to face her. I glanced at her, seeing her eyes fixated on my arm.

Shit. I'd forgotten that I'd rolled my sleeves up.

I rolled my sleeve back down, so the ugly purple on my arm bruise was away from her sight. "It's nothing."

"It is definitely _not _nothing." Zoe said. She moved towards me, her green eyes an intensely dark colour. "Take your jacket off."

"Zoe –"

She gave me a sharp look that silenced me immediately. Knowing there was no way out, I unzipped my jacket and shrugged out of it, watching the black material hit the floor, leaving my arms dangling my sides.

Zoe gasped in horror and grabbed my right arm, her fingers sliding gently over a particularly dark purple bruise. "How'd you get these?"

"The mission." I told her. I didn't even know why I was lying to her. Why was I lying?

"Our last mission was a week ago. These are only a few days old." Zoe said. I pulled away from her and she let my arm slip through her fingers as I bent down to retrieve my jacket.

"Where'd they come from?" Zoe asked again.

I sighed as I zipped my jacket back up, turning to face her. "You wouldn't believe me if I did tell you."

"You'd be surprised what I believe. If I didn't know better and you told me vampires existed, I'd probably believe you."

"Vampires did it." I told her, moving to her right and grabbing my drink bottle.

"That's not funny, Dan." Zoe said, unamused.

"You're right, it's not." I replied, sitting on the floor. "I shouldn't make fun of the vampires. They'll probably come and murder us all now."

Zoe sighed and sat down in front of me and I felt my walls cracking, aching to be torn down. Zoe reached out for my hands, but I pushed my damp hair out of my eyes and poured half the water in the drink bottle down my throat, so I would have something to do with my hands.

"Dan, I get it if you hate me after Sternum, but I can see that you don't. You've just been pushing yourself away. From me, from _everyone_. I've been trying to figure out why, but I can't. Why? Why are you pushing yourself away? And why won't you tell me where those bruises came from?"

I hung my head and took a deep breath. "My dad teaches me the only way he knows how. That's all you need to know."

Then I walked off, leaving her sitting there to ponder that.


	2. Teaching

"How are you going with the girl?" Dad asked that night as we were eating dinner. I shrugged and shoved a piece of pasta into my mouth.

"Fine." I mumbled through my mouth full of food.

"Fine?" He asked sceptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah." I replied, swallowing my food. "She's just really persistent, that's all."

Dad nodded and I suddenly felt really guilty. I suddenly wished that for once, I had a normal father. One that encouraged dating girls, instead of hitting me over the back of the head for it.

Dad smiled and placed his hand on my shoulder, which I flinched away from. It was a natural reflex that had started when I was eleven and it had started only by flinching away only from Dad. By the time I hit thirteen, the habit had gotten worse. Now I had to work not to flinch away whenever someone touched me. I managed it, but I didn't bother with Dad.

"Unfortunately, Daniel, all women are persistent." Dad said, grinning.

"Was Mum?" I asked quietly. Dad glanced at me quickly and I expected him to hit me. To my surprise, he didn't. He just sighed and sat back in his chair.

"She was, Dan. She was very persistent." He said quietly.

I nodded and swallowed thickly. "Do you mind if I go upstairs for a little while? I've got an idea for a song I want to try out."

Dad nodded and waved me away dismissively. I scrambled upstairs before he could find something to punish me over, scrambling into my room and closing the door behind me. I found my guitar sitting against the wall and I picked it up, settling down on the floor and balancing the wooden instrument on my leg. I started to play, my fingers gliding easily over the strings. As I played, I wondered whether Zoe was attracted to guys who could play a musical instrument.

As soon as I thought it, I pounded the thought into dust, glancing down quickly at my arm. Love was dangerous. I'd already gotten myself in enough trouble by falling for her.

* * *

When I got school the next day, I could feel Zoe's eyes burning into my back.

"So the vampires didn't get to you, obviously." I said, spinning to face her.

Zoe cocked her head to the side and the daggers in her eyes disappeared, leaving only sympathy in their place.

"You can't seriously think this is right." Zoe said as she moved towards me.

"What is right?" I asked, lowering my voice.

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about." Zoe hissed quietly. Somehow, it was more terrifying than I could have imagined. "It's wrong, Dan. It's not fair that you're in pain and you suffer because he –"

"You don't understand." I told her.

"You deserve more than what you have." She said and tossed me a glare as she walked off. My jaw tightened as I stared after her, but I didn't follow her. I forced her words away from me, out of my mind.

"What's with Zoe? She looked real pissed off." Tom said as he walked up.

"Nothing. She's just in a bad mood." I lied.

Tom looked astonished, as if what I'd said was happening was something impossible.

"What?" I asked.

"It's just . . . In the whole time you've known her, when have you _ever_ known Zoe to just wake up in a bad mood?" Tom asked.

I shrugged. "First time for everything."

"I suppose."

I subconsciously rubbed the bruise Zoe saw yesterday. I could feel it – things were going to get really intense really fast.

* * *

"I don't understand. So _make_ me." Zoe said at lunch, swinging onto the seat beside me.

I raised my eyebrows at her and she sighed. "You were right. I don't understand any of it, I just know that you've got bruises on your arms and they're from your Dad's hand. Please help me."

I studied her expression. She seemed sincere, with all of her earlier hostility gone.

"Not here." I told her. I stood up and walked out, not bothering to check if Zoe was following. I knew that she would.

She was silent as she followed me into the broom cupboard. I closed the door behind us and leaned against it, unable to believe how weak my walls had become. Here I was, about to tell her everything. I'd never told anyone any of this stuff, never even thought about it before I met her.

"For as long as I can remember, this is how Dad's disciplined me. This is how I remember what he teaches me." I said, peeling off my blazer so she could see the bruises marking the skin on my arms. "He never does it unless he has a reason."

"What about your mum? She seriously just lets him do it?" Zoe asked.

I'd expected that she'd ask that question, but hearing it still knocked the breath out of me.

"My mum died when I was only a baby. Dad's raised me on his own." I told her.

"You shouldn't have to go through this." Zoe said softly.

"Go through what?" I asked. "It's parenting."

"It's _abuse_." Zoe hissed, her eyes glinting.

I crossed my arms over my chest and Zoe sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Fine. Why do you push people away?"

"Because that's one of the first things he taught me."

"I don't understand."

"He taught me that love is dangerous. That to love someone is to destroy yourself."

"You're delusional." Zoe told me.

I raised one eyebrow. "How would you know? You grew up without parents."

That was harsh. And cruel, even for me.

Zoe stepped closer to me, her green eyes blazing with barely contained fury. "Watch your mouth, Daniel."

I glared at her. "Just because it's different to the way most people teach, doesn't mean it's wrong."

"Actually it does." Zoe said. "It's illegal and it's called child abuse."

"I'm not a child." I shot back stubbornly, like a child.

Zoe shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. It's assault. It's still wrong and it should still be stopped."

"Believe what you want." I told her, putting my blazer on and walking out.

"Dan –" Zoe called after me, but I ignored her.


	3. When The Walls Come Crashing Down

**I'm so glad you guys are liking this story so far! :) This is the first time I've tried a story with any form of abuse in it, so I'm glad that you like it. **

That night, I slept fitfully. I tossed and turned, throwing the blankets from my body multiple times. I kept on hearing what Zoe had told me. When I woke up at about two in the morning, I was breathing heavily. I could still hear Zoe's voice echoing in my mind;

_It's abuse._

_Why do you push people away?_

_You shouldn't have to go through this._

Then I heard Dad's voice, louder and more commanding than Zoe's;

_Love is dangerous._

I sighed reluctantly and fell back to sleep.

* * *

"Here. Read this." Zoe said at lunch the next day, shoving a book under my nose.

"Hmm?" I asked, looking at her. I was too tired to fight with her today. I just wanted to sleep.

"Read. Now."

"What is it?" I asked, putting my thumb in the book to mark the page and flipping it shut. On the cover was a photo of some guy's bare chest, which was covered in unusual markings. In the background I could see a city that looked similar to New York City in America.

"_City of Bones_ by Cassandra Clare." Zoe replied. She flipped it back to page I'd marked with my thumb and pointed to a sentence. Sighing, I read it.

"_The boy never cried again and he never forgot what he learned; that to love is to destroy and to be loved is to be the one destroyed_." I read. "So what?"

Zoe sighed. "Dan! The boy in the story, Jace, had a falcon when he was a little boy. His father told him to train it. So Jace went off and made the falcon love him. When he showed his father, his father snapped the falcon's neck. Jace cried for the death of his bird, but he never cried again."

"What's the point in this?"

"Hang on." She pulled _City of Bones_ out of my hands, placing another book in its place.

"_City of Glass_?" I asked. Zoe nodded and flipped to a page. "Same series as _City of Bones_."

I read where she pointed. "_Love didn't make you weak. It made you the strongest person I'd ever met_."

I passed the book back to her. "Where are you going with this?"

"Are you going to listen to me or are you going to get pissed and yell at me again?"

"If I yell at you are you going to drop it?" I asked.

"I'm never going to drop it, Dan. This is serious."

"Fine. What's the hidden message?"

Zoe smiled gently and I tried to ignore the thumping of my own heart.

"You're like Jace." She said. "You both learned the same lesson, but you learned it in different ways."

"Great. So I'm a book character." I mumbled. I started to walk off, but Zoe grabbed my arm and pulled me back down. I hissed in pain as she pressed onto a bruise, but I sat down.

"Dan, this isn't normal." Zoe whispered. "I may not have grown up in the same world, but I do know that it's not normal to be hit every time your father wants you learn something. And it's not normal to reject love the way that you do."

I shuddered. "I just can't. I'm sorry, Zoe, I can't –"

I stood up and walked away before I did something I'd regret.

* * *

As I started walking home, I heard someone call out my name from behind me. I turned my head to the side to look at Zoe as she fell into step beside me.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked as she fell into step beside me.

Zoe nodded and glanced at me, curiosity sparkling in her green eyes.

"Why haven't you told Neish and Tom?"

Zoe smiled sadly. "You only told me because I saw the bruises. I figured you wouldn't appreciate me telling them."

"Thanks, Zo."

Zoe smiled again and we walked in silence for a while, until Zoe asked, "Can I show you something?"

I nodded and she stopped, glancing from side to side before she crossed the road, into the park. I followed after her, wondering what it was she wanted to show me.

"Here." Zoe said, sitting down on some grass. I sat beside her, leaning back on my hands.

"What do you see?" Zoe asked.

I dipped my head back. "A park."

"Other than that?"

"Birds. Trees. Grass." I replied, pulling at some of the grass we were sitting on.

Zoe sighed. "Dan, what do you see _there_?"

I looked to where she pointing, where I could see a couple walking hand-in-hand. The guy looked like an older version of Tom, whereas the girl he was with could have been a supermodel.

"Someone who must have really deep pockets." I remarked.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "You're missing the point."

"No, I'm not. They obviously love each other and that's obviously going to be their downfall."

"You're still missing the point. Dan, in those books I showed you, Jace and Clary were thought to have been brother and sister. They still loved each other."

I screwed up my nose, as if I'd smelled something bad. "That's incest."

"No, it's not. They weren't actually related."

"Yay for Jace and Clary." I mumbled. I didn't like where this was going. My walls, already weakened, burned to be pulled down. My intuition told me that they would be. Soon. The very thought of pulling them down, made me feel fear right down to my bones.

"Dan, your mother died and your dad's taking out his frustration and pain out on you, telling you things that aren't actually right. In nearly every story I can think of, love is main factor that helps the characters get through the issues they face."

"Romeo and Juliet –"

"Romeo and Juliet are an exception. They were idiots and deserved what they got." Zoe said. "Look, I know that you think that loving someone is a bad thing. But it's not."

"And how do you know that?"

"I know what you don't, Dan." Zoe said softly, turning so she was sitting in front of me. She reached out with one hand, placing her palm against my chest, splaying her fingers out wide. My heart started thundering loudly against my ribcage as Zoe glanced up at my face. "How much you want to let someone in."

"You're wrong." I managed to gasp out. Even as I said it, I knew it was a lost cause. She could obviously see the effect that she was having on me.

"Prove it." Zoe challenged. "Get up and walk away. Prove me wrong. _I dare you_."

I closed my eyes and shuddered, allowing my walls to come crashing down after sixteen years. I didn't have the strength to keep them up anymore.

Before I could even try to stop myself, I pulled her towards me and kissed her fiercely. Zoe smiled against my mouth, her hands reaching up to wrap around my neck. She felt warm and dainty in my arms as I pulled her as close as I could, her mouth moulding to the shape of my own.

Even as I kissed her, I could hear my father's voice in my mind, screaming at me to let her go, to leave her while I was still remotely sane.

For the first time in my life, I rejected my father's teachings. I pushed his voice away and held Zoe closer.

When we broke apart, Zoe buried her face in my shoulder.

"Dan?" Zoe whispered.

"Yeah, Zo?" I replied.

"Can you please tell Frank? I – I don't want you to get hurt anymore."

I nodded against her shoulder. "I'll tell him tomorrow. I promise."

Zoe sighed in relief and pulled away, settling back onto the grass. She looked like she wanted to say something, but was afraid to say it.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

"I love you." Zoe said softly.

I hesitated. I could hear Dad's voice in the back of my head, hissing, _I told you not to love. She will hurt you, Daniel. Walk away while you have some dignity._

And I almost listened to it.

Almost.

"I love you too." I told her finally.

Zoe smiled happily and embraced me tightly.

"Does this mean we're together now?" Zoe whispered.

I smiled and kissed her forehead. "We can be."

Zoe hugged me tighter, if that was even possible, resting her head on my shoulder. "I'd like that."

I smiled and glanced up at the sky. When I saw how dark it had become, I cursed and untangled myself from Zoe, standing up.

"What?" Zoe asked. "Dan?"

"It's getting dark. If I stay out much longer, Dad's going to be more than a little pissed." I told her.

Zoe nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded and pressed one last kiss to her lips. "You bet. I love you."

"I love you too." She called after me. I tossed her a small smile before I took off in the direction of home with Dad's voice echoing in my mind;

_Let's see if you make it through the night._

**Just in case you weren't sure, I don't own M. or City of Bones or City of Glass. If I owned M. , Dan and Zoe would have gotten together at the end of Final Endgame and if I owned City of Bones, I'd be hell of a lot richer. **


	4. Times Are Changing

I should've known that he knew. As soon as I walked through the door, he knew.

As soon as my schoolbag hit the floor, Dad pushed me into the wall. I tripped over a glass bottle lying on the floor and hit my head against the table. I groaned, my gaze flickering to bottle and then up to my father's face as he approached. I could smell alcohol on his breath and I avoided breathing through my mouth as he dragged me upwards by my hair.

Great. He was drunk.

"I told you not to allow anyone to get close." Dad hissed angrily, letting me go.

"Yeah well. People need love." I replied, glaring back at him defiantly.

"Oh, they do, do they?" Dad asked and then slapped me across the face.

I glared back at him. I wasn't going to take this anymore. Zoe was right. I didn't deserve this.

No one did.

He moved to punch me in the stomach, but I blocked the blow. Dad grabbed me and shoved me into the wall again and I hit my head again. I spun and ducked as he threw a punch at me, rolling away from him. He grabbed me by the back of my shirt and dragged me backwards. He slammed me into the wall again, his fingers tightening around my throat. I struggled, my legs dangling helplessly in the air.

"In sixteen years, have you learned nothing?" He asked menacingly, his eyes a terrifyingly dark shade of blue.

"Not really." I replied and brought my knee up into his stomach. Dad grunted and let me go and not wasting a single second, I kicked him away from me. He stumbled into the couch and just lay there, unconscious.

Still trying to recover from having Dad's hands around my throat, I ran out of the house, grabbing my school bag on the way out.

And then I ran. I ran down the street, my feet pounding loudly against the pavement. I didn't know where I was running to; I just had to get away. Before Dad woke up and followed me. I could feel something wet on the side of my face. I touched it and my hand came away smeared with sticky blood. I was so concentrated on the blood on my face that I didn't notice the toy car that some kid had left lying out in the street. I tripped over it, rolling across the ground a stopping in a patch of dirt. I got up with a grunt and took off running again, more concentrated on what was on the footpath now.

I may not have consciously known where I was going, but some part of me knew exactly where I wanted to go. As I turned into a familiar street, I realised where I was going. I'd only been down this particular street twice before, but I remembered the street name and I remembered the house.

I slowed to walk in front of the house and bounded up the front steps, pounding on the front door with my fist and glancing quickly over my shoulder to see if Dad was behind me. I didn't really have any reason to be so panicked. When Dad passed out when he was drunk, he usually slept for at least three hours.

"I'll get it!" A familiar voice called from inside the house and the door opened, revealing Zoe standing there, wearing a black tank top and skinny jeans. She stared at me for a moment and I wondered how I looked to her. Zoe stuck her head out the door and then pulled me inside, closing the door behind me.

"What happened?" Zoe asked, leading me into the kitchen.

Before I could answer, Zoe's foster Mum, Kira, turned around and said, "Zoe, it's late. What have I told you – Oh my God, Dan?!"

"Hi Kira." I said feebly.

"Sit down." Kira ordered, pointing to one of the chairs at the table. I sat down and while Kira got the first aid kit, Zoe pulled up a chair beside me and reached out, rubbing some of the hair that rested on my forehead between her fingers.

"What?" I asked.

"You've got blood in your hair." She dropped her hand and looked down. "I had a feeling I should have gone with you."

"Then we'd both be injured." I replied. Zoe didn't answer, but she still looked miserable. I wanted to say something – anything to make her at least a little happier, but I couldn't think of anything. The headache that had exploded in the side of my head while I was running wasn't helping.

Kira pulled up a chair in front of me and started cleaning the blood off my face. I clenched my jaw and tried to ignore the pain in my head that only intensified when Kira started cleaning my face. Zoe reached out and took my hand, giving my fingers a quick squeeze. I tried to smile at her, but I couldn't do it. Every lesson I'd ever learned from my father was rolling around in my head and it was making my headache worse.

"Who did you pick a fight with this time?" Kira asked finally. I glanced quickly at Zoe and she shrugged and mouthed; Up to you.

I sighed. "It's a long story."

Kira sighed, but she didn't push. She picked up the cloth and touched the cut on the side of my face gingerly. "You got lucky. It's not that deep."

"Why'd it bleed so much then?" I asked.

"Head wounds always bleed a lot." Zoe said, as if it was basic trivia that everyone learnt in primary school. For her, it probably was something that she learnt when I was still learning to read.

"Do your parents know where you are, Dan?" Kira asked as she put the First Aid Kit.

"Yeah." I lied. "I rang them on the way here."

"Kira?" Zoe asked. "Can Dan stay here tonight? I don't like the idea of him going out there after being attacked."

Kira nodded. "Set him up in the spare bedroom, then Zoe."

Zoe nodded and stood up, pulling me up with her. "C'mon."

I followed her upstairs and she led me into a room at the very end of the hallway. I glanced around quickly. It was pretty bare and looked like no one had slept in there for a long time.

I sat on the bed, lacing my fingers together. My headache was pounding, making it hard for me to think. Zoe disappeared out the door and came back a minute later, carrying a glass of water in one hand and something so small in her other that I couldn't see it.

"Here." Zoe said, passing me the items as she sat down beside me. I could now tell that the small item was a Panadol tablet. I put the tablet in my mouth and washed it down with the water.

"What happened?" Zoe asked softly.

I took a deep breath. "He was already drunk when I got there. And he knew – He must've been able to see it on my face, but he knew."

I told her what had happened, staring down at my hands as I spoke. I didn't dare to look at Zoe, because I knew that if I did, I'd lose it.

When I finished, Zoe reached out and touched the cut on my head. I wasn't expecting it and I didn't have a chance to control my habit of flinching away from people. I don't know if I'd have been able to stop myself, even if I'd known it was coming.

"Sorry." I said, glancing at her quickly before looking back down. I wanted to cry – I could feel the hot tears pricking uncomfortably at my eyes. But I couldn't. I hadn't cried for so long, I wasn't sure if I could do it anymore.

Zoe rubbed my back comfortingly and put her head on my shoulder.

"I feel hollow." I mumbled. "Like I'm a shell."

Zoe sighed and turned her head, kissing my shoulder. "It'll get better, Dan. I promise."

"Will it?"

Zoe nodded and ran her fingers through my hair. I realised that there was still blood in it and I reached up with one hand, rubbing at the hair that now felt coarse against my skin, due to the fact that it was coated in my blood.

"Go have a shower, Dan." Zoe said. She stood up and walked towards a cupboard, kneeling down in front of the cupboard and throwing a pair of slacks and a t – shirt at me. I caught them and glanced down at Zoe.

"Seriously, Dan. You're filthy. Go have a shower."

I got up and walked downstairs and into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and almost screamed out in surprise. I didn't look like myself. The hair that hung across my forehead was matted and instead of being its usual blonde, it was a dark brown. I could see a bruise forming on my throat and it was high up, easily missing the collar of my shirt. I was going to have a hell of a time explaining that tomorrow. My face was covered in dirt from when I'd tripped over.

But what struck me the hardest was my eyes. They looked . . . empty. They looked as if they'd been devoid of emotion for so long that they didn't even know what emotion was anymore.

As I turned away from the mirror, I realised how truly broken I was. My own father had been making me unhappier each day I lived with him and I had fooled myself into thinking that I was happy.

As I turned the shower on and undressed, I wondered if I was being fair to Zoe. She deserved the very best. Could I give her the best? I loved her, but I was more broken that I ever could have thought. Maybe it would be fairer to let her go. She deserved someone who could love her with their whole heart.

I sighed as I stepped under the water, closing the shower door behind me. I dipped my head back, letting the water run over my face. I started to scrub at my hair and face, until my skin felt raw and my scalp hurt. The only positive I could think of was that my headache had subsided.

I finally turned the shower off and stepped out, pulling on the clothes Zoe had given me. I glanced in the mirror and saw that I looked more like myself. My hair was blonde again and the dirt was gone from my face, but my eyes still held that same hollow expression.

I walked out of the bathroom, carrying my school uniform that I'd still been wearing until now and walked upstairs. I stuffed my school clothes into my bag and threw myself face-first onto the bed, groaning in relief as my body relaxed into the soft mattress.

"Dan?" I heard Zoe ask behind me.

I rolled over to face her as she walked around to the side of the bed, kneeling down and placing her chin on the mattress. Her green eyes looked beautiful in the bright light and I felt a tightening in my chest. I wanted to cry again, but again, I had that feeling that I couldn't.

Zoe reached out with one hand, her fingers sliding across my cheek. I closed my eyes and sighed. I felt the bed dip as Zoe crawled onto the bed with me and my hands reached out, pulling her closer.

"Dan, don't you ever think you're not good enough." Zoe whispered. My eyes flew open, staring at her.

"I can read you like a book, Dan." Zoe said. "You're not broken. I swear."

I stared at her.

"You are good enough." Zoe whispered, moving closer and kissing me gently. The kiss was soft and innocent and Zoe pulled away slightly, I buried my face in her shoulder and I found my ability to cry. As the tears flowed down my face, Zoe rubbed my back and kissed my hair gently.

When I was finished, I raised my head and looked her in the eye. "Thank you. You have no idea how long it's been since I've done that."

Zoe smiled and kissed my forehead. "Get some sleep, Dan. You look like you need it."

She got up and walked out , glancing back at me over her shoulder. I slid under the blankets and fell asleep almost instantly.

**Please tell me what you think! I love hearing other people's opinions on my stories!**


	5. Maybe

"Dan! Wake up!" I heard the next morning.

I moaned and pulled the pillow over my head. My whole body felt sore and my head hurt and I just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Dan. Come on." Zoe said. She tugged on the blankets and pulled them back, off my body. I groaned and sat up, twisting to face her. Then I sighed and rolled to the side, falling off the bed.

"Ow." I mumbled, pulling myself to my feet. Zoe laughed and walked out, shutting the door behind her. I threw on my school uniform and trudged downstairs. I could smell bacon and eggs and I suddenly realised how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten at all dinner the night before so I was starving.

"Morning, Dan." Kira said as I appeared in the doorway. I mumbled back a greeting of my own as I sat down, between Zoe and Zoe's foster sister, Ruby.

"Dan's here!" Ruby chirped happily. I forced a smile on my face and ruffled the young girl's mop of black hair. "Hey, Kiddo."

"How are you, Dan?" Zoe's foster dad, Mark, asked.

"Fine." I replied gruffly, shoving a piece of bacon into my mouth. I could feel Zoe's eyes burning into the side of my face and I turned to look at her. "What?"

Zoe's eyes searched mine for a moment and then she shook her head. "Nothing."

I swallowed and squeezed her hand tightly under the table.

"Dan?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"What happened to your face?"

"Ruby, that's rude!" Kira hissed as she sat down beside Mark.

"Sorry." Ruby mumbled, ducking her head. I ruffled her hair again. "I'll tell you another time, okay?"

Ruby nodded and smiled. "You promise?"

I nodded. "I promise."

It was a simple promise, but I was suddenly reminded of the promise I made Zoe the night before. That I'd tell Frank about Dad. The prospect of it sent tremors down my spine, but I was a little relieved. After what happened with Dad last night, I knew there was no way I could live with him anymore.

Somehow, I knew this was going to be a long day.

* * *

The craziness started when Aneisha got to school. As soon as she saw me and Zoe standing side-by-side at the school gates, talking quietly, she started bouncing around excitedly as if her feet were made of springs.

"Jesus, Neish. Calm down. You'll raise hell if you keep doing that." I told her.

Aneisha stopped bouncing on the balls of her feet, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Hell?"

"Melissa, dumbass." Zoe said.

Aneisha stared at her. "You swore. You used to be innocent!"

Zoe shrugged her shoulders. "That was a year ago, Neish."

"What happened to you?" Aneisha asked, turning to me and pointing to the side of my face.

"Some guy asked me a question last night and didn't like the answer to it." I lied.

Aneisha raised an eyebrow, obviously not buying it, but she let it go.

* * *

During morning break, Zoe and I went down to HQ. Despite how nervous I was, I was glad be away from the prying eyes that had been watching me like a hawks all morning.

"You okay?" Zoe whispered as we walked out of the elevator, her fingers intertwined with mine. I nodded, glancing down at her. "I think so."

Zoe smiled sadly and yelled out, "Frank? Are you in here?"

Frank came out, concern written on his face. "Zoe? Dan? What's wrong?"

Then he noticed the cut on my face.

"Dan, what happened to you?"

I took a deep breath and glanced at Zoe nervously. She smiled encouragingly and I looked back at Frank. "Um . . . My Dad and I kind of had a disagreement last night."

Before he could answer, I peeled off my jacket, revealing my bruised arms. Frank stared.

"Dan, is this a joke? If it is, it's not funny."

"Would Zoe be here if it was a joke?" I asked, surprised that my voice was level and calm.

Frank's gaze flickered to Zoe quickly before moving back to me. "No, I suppose that she wouldn't. Sit down and tell me what's going on."

So we did. Zoe and I both sat down and I explained everything. How I'd been abused from a young age, right through to the events of the night before. As I spoke, I stared down at my hands, watching as Zoe's fingers traced invisible patterns on my skin.

When I finished, I looked up to see Frank's shocked expression.

"We'll sort this out, Dan. He'll be locked up for a long time to have been abusing you for so long."

"Frank, what's going to happen to me?" I asked.

Frank cursed. "Your mother died, didn't she?"

I nodded and swallowed thickly. "I don't have any other relatives that don't hate my guts."

Frank sighed. "You'll have to go into the M.I.9 foster system."

I nodded and Zoe squeezed my hands comfortingly. "Will I be able to stay at St Heart's?"

Frank smiled and nodded. "We'll make sure that your foster placement is within reasonable distance of the school." He glanced at Zoe. "Do you think Kira would agree to take on another foster kid?"

Zoe nodded. "I think she would."

"Do you guys realise that – Oh My God." Said a new voice. Zoe and I both turned towards it and I almost immediately dropped my head. Aneisha and Tom were standing in the doorway, their eyes wide in shock as they stared at my exposed arms.

"Dan . . . " Aneisha whispered. "Zoe, Frank. What's going on?"

Frank quickly gave them a more condensed version of what had happened. I kept my head down and stared at the smooth surface of the table and it was only when Frank had finished explaining that I gathered the nerve to look up. Tom was staring at me with some unreadable expression on his face. Aneisha had tears sparkling in her eyes and I looked away, pulling my jacket back on.

"You didn't really have an argument with a random that turned ugly, did you?" Aneisha asked softly. Still avoiding eye contact, I shook my head. "I wish."

I saw Tom and Aneisha sit down from the corner of my eye and then they reached forward, both of them gripping my hands tightly.

I raised my head and I nearly looked down again, but Zoe touched my arm gently and I drew strength from her.

"I'm so sorry, Dan." Aneisha said softly. I tried to smile, not it felt too forced, to fake on my mouth, so I dropped it. "It's not your fault, Neish. Don't be sorry."

Tom opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but he didn't. Instead he just shut it again and looked away, as if he was scared of what the answer would be.

"What is it, Tom?" I asked.

"Why didn't you tell us, Dan?" He asked. "I mean, we're supposed to be your _best_ friends."

"It's not exactly the easiest thing to just come out and say, Tom." Frank said, from where he was standing behind Aneisha.

"It's not just that." I said. "The way I saw it . . . I didn't see the point in telling anybody."

Aneisha's brow furrowed. "How did you see it?"

"Discipline. Punishment. Learning." I said. "And I – I thought it was right." I glanced at Zoe. "It's thanks to Zoe that I even got out of there at all."

Zoe smiled sadly and put her head on my shoulder.

"What changed?" Aneisha asked.

"I kissed him." Zoe said quietly.

"My father always taught me that love was dangerous, that allowing yourself to love anyone apart from yourself could get you killed. But – ah, this is going to sound really stupid."

"Just say it, Dan." Tom said.

I glanced at Zoe and then back at Tom and Neish. "I knew, as soon as we kissed, that I couldn't go on the way I was. What happened last night, when I got home, was proof of that. I just can't."

"So what happens now?" Aneisha asked.

"Foster care." Zoe replied. Tom glanced at me, his eyes silently asking, _Will you be able to stay at St Heart's?_

I simply nodded.

"So what'd you guys come down here anyway?" Zoe asked, taking her head off my shoulder.

"You missed two lessons." Tom replied.

Aneisha glanced at her watch and then rocketed up from her seat. "Shit! Lunch is nearly over!"

We made it to class on time, but Zoe and I had detention on Saturday for skipping two lessons.

* * *

"You okay?" Zoe asked as we were walking home after school.

"I think so." I replied. "It makes it a little easier, knowing Kira and Ruby and . . . Mark."

"Mark's pretty docile, Dan." Zoe said. "He's nothing like your dad."

"I know." I sighed. "It's just . . . going to take me a while."

"I know. Things like this take time."

I suddenly remembered how she'd only found out two weeks ago that she was a clone of Mastermind.

"How are you coping, by the way?" I asked.

Zoe shrugged. "I'm okay. The whole thing could have been worse."

I nodded, wondering if Dad had been arrested yet as we turned onto Zoe's street.

"It feels like forever since last night."

Zoe nodded. "So much has happened. But things are going to get better now. You do know that, don't you?"

While some part of me was telling me that I'd never be better until I started following Dad's rules again, I couldn't help but believe Zoe. I'd lived by Dad's rules for years and all I'd gotten in return was loneliness. As we reached Zoe's house and my new home, I made a promise to myself that I'd change. I was going to stop thinking the way Dad did. It would be better for me and in turn, better for Zoe. I wanted to be worthy of her love.

"Dan!" Ruby cried as soon as I stepped through the door, her small body colliding into my legs. I realised that she was sobbing and I dumped my bag on the floor beside me, kneeling down in front of her.

"What's wrong, Ruby?" I asked, placing my hands on her shoulders. Ruby wiped her face and let out a long, shuddering breath before she answered. "Your daddy hurt you." She said softly, her bottom lip quivering as she reached out and touched the bruise on my throat left from my father's attempt to strangle me. "Daddy's aren't supposed to do that."

Then she hugged me tightly, her little arms wrapping tightly around my neck. I could feel her hair pricking my face and I simply hugged her back.

"I know." I whispered. "But some do anyway."

This only caused Ruby to cry harder against my shoulder, her little body shaking.

"Dan?" Someone said. I lifted my head off Ruby's shoulder and she let me go, allowing me to stand. I could see Kira and Mark standing in the doorway.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, Dan." Kira said gently.

"You can't help these things." I said, shrugging.

"That room you slept in last night." Kira said. "That'll be yours."

"Thanks." I mumbled. "For all of this."

Kira smiled and Mark simply nodded.

"C'mon." Zoe said. I grabbed my bag and she led me upstairs, into the room I slept into the night before. I dumped my bag on the floor and collapsed on the bed, peeling off my school blazer as I went. Zoe crawled up beside me, placing her head on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her hair.

"I keep hearing everything he taught me, in my head." I mumbled. "And I can't make it go away."

"I might." Zoe said, sitting up and grabbing her bag.

"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting up and watching her actions curiously as she pulled out a notepad and a pen. She let the bag drop to the floor and she settled back down beside me, balancing the pad on her lap.

"It's not a question of what I'm doing, Daniel. It's what you're doing."

"What am I doing?"

"You. Are rejecting your father's teachings." Zoe replied.

"How?"

"You'll see. What's one thing he taught you?"

"Love is dangerous."

She wrote it down in her neat handwriting, that made mine look like a five-year-old's.

"What else?"

So it went back and forth. I would tell her something my dad taught me and if it was incorrect, she wrote it down. This continued until we had a list that was three pages long and I'd run out of things that he'd taught me, except for walking and talking.

_Love is dangerous._

_Men don't cry._

_Men don't scream._

_Men don't show weakness._

And so on.

"What now?" I asked.

Zoe grinned at me and pushed the pad and the pen towards me. "You're going to cross out every single one of those rules."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

I shook my head at her, but I picked up the pen and started crossing each of them out. I read the rules as the line cut through them, committing the image to memory. When I was done, Zoe pulled the sheets of paper from the pad and stuck them to the wall before turning around to grin at me.

"What was the point in that?" I asked.

Zoe sighed. "It's a kind of psychology thing. If you keep on doing that, over and over, each day, you should stop thinking that way."

"You really think it'll work?" I asked.

"I know it'll work." Zoe replied, sitting in front of me on the bed and taking my hands. "When I came out of SKUL, I had rejected a lot of what they tried to teach me, but a few had crept into how I saw the world, how I thought about things. So I did that, every night. And it worked."

"It worked?"

"It worked." Zoe confirmed. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth against mine, her fingers sliding up my arms. I kissed her soft mouth as Zoe's fingers reached my shoulders and then her fingers tangled in my hair. I wrapped my arms around her waist to pull her closer and Zoe made a small pleased sound in her throat as her fingers raked through my hair.

"Dan! Zoe! Ruby! Dinner!"

Zoe and I broke apart at the sound of Kira's voice and I rested my head on Zoe's shoulder and groaned. That woman had perfect timing.

"Come on." Zoe said, pushing her fingers through my hair one last time. Reluctantly I got up and walked downstairs with Zoe, pulling my school blazer on as we walked. Ruby had been distraught enough as it was, just knowing that my father had abused me. I didn't want to find out how upset she'd be if she saw my bruises.

When we walked into the kitchen, Mark, Ruby and Kira were sitting at the table, with plates in front of them. Zoe and I slid into the same seats we'd sat in this morning and started eating. I didn't really pay attention to what food I was shoving in my mouth, I just ate it. I hadn't realised how hungry I was until the food hit my stomach, but now I was starving. I couldn't get the food in fast enough.

"I don't need to tell you house rules, do I?" Kira asked.

"Huh?" I asked, my mouth full of food.

"That's disgusting!" Ruby cried.

"You're a hypocrite." Zoe told her.

"Am not!"

"You are! You talk with your mouth full all the time!"

"Girls!" Kira said. Immediately, Ruby and Zoe stopped arguing.

"Stop arguing. Ruby, don't be a hypocrite. You talk with your mouth full of food all the time. Zoe, don't pick fights with Ruby." Mark said. "And Dan . . . Don't talk with your mouth full. It starts arguments."

"Okay." I mumbled. But for the first time, I was able to meet his eyes directly. To be honest, I was amazed. When he'd been telling the three of us off, he'd barely raised his voice. Sure, he'd been stern, but he hadn't been angry. The only discipline I knew was delivered through anger and violence. To see it done any other way was strangely intriguing.

"We've had an abused foster kid before, Dan." Mark said, almost as if he could read my mind. "We know how to discipline kids without being loud."

"Was there any time when your daddy didn't hit you?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby!" Kira scolded.

Ruby ducked her head, but I knew the little girl would just ask the question again when her parents weren't around.

So I answered her.

I shook my head. "No, he always was. My mum died when I was real little, so I think that took the beauty of life out of him. I remember this one time when I was a kid, when I was chasing this butterfly. When I caught it, I showed it to my dad and told him how pretty it was. He just told me that beauty was just an illusion."

I could feel Mark and Kira's eyes on the side of my face, boring holes into my skin. Zoe reached out and took my hand, squeezing my fingers tightly. It was one of the lessons Dad had taught me, so it was one of the ones that was crossed out on the piece of paper.

But it was one that never really sunk in. Beauty had been one of the few things that kept me sane.

That kept me _me_.

That's one of the three reasons I learned to play guitar. The music that I made with the instrument was beautiful. When I started to lose my sanity, I turned to the guitar to bring it back. When I started to forget the mother I'd barely known in the slightest, I played the guitar. Whenever it started to feel as if I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, I played.

That's why I had never missed my guitar as much as I did that night while I was eating dinner with Zoe, Ruby, Mark and Kira. My fingers practically itched to feel the taught resistance of the strings beneath them as I plucked at them, to feel the smooth wood against my skin, to feel the light weight of the instrument atop my legs as I played.

"Beauty's not an illusion." Mark said finally. "Beauty is like love, like laughter and like happiness; it's what keeps people sane at the worst of times. That's why a lot of people listen to or make music. It keeps them sane."

I tried not to stare at him. I'd known Mark in a tiny time frame, but he somehow completely understood one of my reasons that I played the guitar.

I glanced from Mark, to Kira, to Ruby.

I realised what genuinely good people they were. Whereas most people would be uncomfortable at the idea of taking in an abused and troubled teen like me, but Kira and Mark had welcomed me into their home with no complaints. I'd only had three brief encounters with Ruby before, but she'd been distraught when she discovered that I'd been abused by own father.

Some small part of me, the part that I had died when I was a little boy, with the first blow that Dad had ever landed on me, started to believe that maybe I could have a family again.

That same part started to believe that maybe I could be happy here.

**Sorry it was so long! I tried to shorten it, but I couldn't really make it work. Oh, and for the person that keeps asking, Dan and Zoe did have sex towards the end of _Life. _If you were paying attention, Zoe actually said to Dan, "That doesn't explain why Lucas got upset when he found out we had sex." Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review! :)**


	6. Nightmares

**Hey guys! I just want to say thankyou to anyone who has reviewed this story so far because I love hearing what you guys think. I'm really glad you guys like this story because this is the first time I've ever tried to write anything like this. Just a heads up, I go back to school tomorrow, so my updates will be a lot slower. And on with the story! **

I woke up screaming.

The room was dark and I couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything except my own cries. Every time I blinked, I saw the same horrifying image that my nightmare had shown me. Zoe with a trail of drying blood down one side of her face and another down her right arm, as she knelt in front of my father, who held a bloody knife in his hands, a malicious grin on his face.

I heard footsteps coming towards me through the darkness and I whimpered, curling up on myself. Someone reached out and touched my shoulder and I cringed away from it, whimpering loudly. The bedside lamp flared to life and I heard a soft, angelic voice whisper, "Shh, Dan. It's okay. It's only me."

"Zoe?" I whimpered, looking up.

I was greeted with the sight of Zoe's face as she sat beside the bed, resting her chin on the mattress. She reached out and smoothed my hair away from my forehead and I shivered as her skin made contact with mine, but I didn't move away.

"You were screaming." Zoe whispered. "You woke everyone up and now Ruby's in hysterics."

"Do you want to go check on her? I'll be fine."

"Kira will check on her. And you are most certainly _not_ fine. Move over."

I did as she said, shuffling across underneath the blankets. Zoe gracefully slid in beside me, her fingers tracing each of the bruises on my arms carefully. Then she ducked her head and kissed each bruise, her hands caressing my arms. I watched her, watched her auburn hair as it moved on her shoulders as she slowly kissed her way up my right arm and then did the same to my left arm.

To say that what she did next surprised me would be an understatement.

Zoe let my arms go and smiled at me with some foreign expression that I couldn't quite recognise, shifting her weight slightly so she was sitting as she leaned forward, one of her hands moving to rest on the where my jaw met my neck, while the other rested on the side of my neck. I pulled myself up into sitting position, my eyes locking onto hers.

I expected her to kiss my mouth, but she didn't.

She kissed my throat. I tilted my head to the side, leaning on the mattress with one hand to steady myself. Despite the fact that I was leaning all my body weight into that arm, my muscles quivered and threatened to give out completely.

Despite the fact that my mind was thoroughly fogged and I couldn't concentrate on anything other than the feel of Zoe's mouth against my skin for more than two seconds, I realised that Zoe was only kissing the sides of my neck, where the marks that Dad's fingers had left were.

Zoe pulled her mouth away from my neck, reaching up and kissing the cut on my temple. Then Zoe made a trail of kisses from my temple all the way down the side of my face until she hit my jaw. My support arm trembled and kept threatening to give out completely, but then Zoe kissed me, her soft mouth caressing mine gently, lovingly. I kissed back just as gently, wrapping both my arms around her waist and pulling her closer. Zoe hummed happily, her mouth moving more passionately against mine.

When we pulled apart for air, I rested my head on her shoulder as her fingers played with my hair.

"We should probably sleep." I whispered.

"Yeah, probably." Zoe mumbled. She detangled herself from me, turning around and laying down under the covers. I moved behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind.

"Zoe?" I mumbled, already half asleep.

"Hmm?"

"I love you." I said and pressed a soft kiss to her jaw.

"I love you too." Zoe said, her hands sliding over mine and giving them a tight squeeze. I pressed one last kiss to the back of her shoulder just before I fell asleep.

* * *

_I glanced around. It looked as if I was in some kind of café, but it was totally empty. There was no workers and the only sound in the room was the quiet buzz of the refrigerators in one of corner of the room._

_I thought I was completely alone, until I spotted the woman standing with her back to me. She seemed to be staring out the window, but even though I couldn't see her face, there was something familiar about her._

_She had long blonde hair that hung down her back and I noticed that it was a similar shade to my own. She was wearing a long white dress that had long sleeves and it was possibly the most modest thing I'd ever seen any female over the age of fifteen._

_As I struggled to figure out where I'd seen her before, she said, "Daniel."_

_Something in her voice was familiar too, but I couldn't figure out what it was._

_"That's me." I mumbled._

_The woman mumbled something and turned around. I stared as I realised why she'd seemed so familiar, but I'd been unable to place her. Because I could only remember seeing her in pictures._

_"Mum?" I asked, my disbelief ringing out through the café._

_She smiled. "You've grown so much since I saw you last."_

_I shrugged. "I would hope so."_

_Mum sighed, her eyes flitting to my arms. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, my son."_

_I glanced down at my arms. They looked worse than they had when I was down in HQ telling Tom and Aneisha. Now every single one was a dark purple. And they hurt. They throbbed painfully, as if someone had stabbed a knife dipped in poison into each bruise and it was slowly pulling the life out of me._

_I tried to ignore the pain. "You couldn't help it."_

_Mum sighed. "I never imagined that this is how he would react. I never thought that his way of coping would be to abuse his only son."_

_I shrugged again and hissed in pain. I probably shouldn't have done that._

_"I'm getting away from it." I said._

_Mum smiled. "Thanks to the girl."_

_"That girl has a name."_

_"Which one would you prefer I use?" Mum asked. "V95 or Zoe?"_

_"Her name. Is Zoe." I said through gritted teeth._

_"Relax, Dan." Mum said. "I just wanted to see your reaction to that."_

_"Well you got your answer." I said. The throbbing in my arms intensified and I tried not to scream out. "Can I go now?"_

_"Just one more thing." She said. "Daniel, your father is incredibly stubborn. He will not go down without a fight. Have you ever heard the saying, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'?"_

_"Of course I have. But which one is Dad?"_

_"Enemy, Daniel. In this case, get as far away from your father as possible." She said._

_Before I could respond, the café and Mum faded away, leaving me in the darkness._

* * *

I woke slowly, blinking away the light that was shining into my eyes. I could feel Zoe's head on my shoulder and she turned her head to the side, drawing in a sharp breath as she opened her eyes.

I craned my head back, glancing at the curtains. I'd closed them before I went to sleep. That meant –

I looked up, away from the window, and was greeted by Mark's amused expression.

"You know, if you weren't screaming the house down last night, Daniel, this would be an incredibly awkward situation."

I stared up at him. I knew that he wouldn't hit me, but my instincts were telling me to run. I reined them in and instead said, "That doesn't change the fact that this is awkward."

"Time to get ready for school." Mark said and walked out.

I sighed and rested the side of my head against Zoe's forehead.

"We better get up." Zoe mumbled sleepily. "He has a habit of pulling the blankets off."

"So that's where you got it from." I mumbled. Zoe smiled and kissed my cheek before she got up. She moved to the end of the bed, her fingers hovering inches above the blankets teasingly.

"I'm up! I'm up!" I cried, pulling myself into sitting position.

Zoe laughed. "I'll see you downstairs, Dan."

* * *

Zoe looked a lot more pissed than I felt. That was unusual. Usually, I was the one that got real pissed off while Zoe stayed calm.

While I wasn't completely calm, I was a lot calmer than Zoe was.

At any other time, in other circumstances, our role switch would have been hilarious. But because of the circumstances surrounding it, none of us found it funny.

"So what actually happened?" Tom asked.

"I just told you." Frank said. "They went in and he wasn't there. Apparently it looked like he'd trashed the house."

This sparked my interest. I immediately thought of my guitar, sitting in my room. I hoped that Dad hadn't broken it. That instrument was special to me.

"So he took off." Aneisha said.

Zoe threw up her hands in exasperation, her jaw clenched in frustration. As she started to walk off, I pulled her towards me so she was standing in front of me, with her back facing my chest. I wrapped my arms around her waist and Zoe sighed, her muscles relaxing against me as I rested my forehead against her shoulder.

"Yes." Frank said. "He probably won't be back for a least a week."

"Frank?" I asked. "I need to go back to get some of my stuff."

Zoe turned her head to look at me as if I'd gone insane.

"Dan, just because it's unlikely for him to come back, doesn't mean that he won't." Frank said.

"Look, I'll be fine. I'll take Zoe with me and we'll be there for half an hour at the most. But there's stuff in that house that's important to me." I said. "Please."

Frank sighed. "You can go. But half an hour at the most."


	7. What I Deserve

So after school, Zoe and I set off for what used to be my home. It felt weird, thinking of it in that way. I'd lived there for so many years and now suddenly it wasn't my home anymore.

We walked in silence until I said, "I keep wondering how he ever did it."

"Hmm?" Zoe asked.

"I keep wondering how he could hit his own son." I said. "And I keep wondering if he was always like that. But I've seen photos of Dad when Mum was alive and it's like he's two different people. And I can't help feeling scared, because what if I'm like that with my own kids?"

Zoe took a deep breath. "You won't be, Dan."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know for a fact that you're nothing like him. And I can prove it."

"How?"

Zoe stopped and grabbed my arm, pulling me to a stop beside her.

"You said your dad never found anything beautiful." Zoe said. I nodded and wondered where she was going with this.

"Look around." Zoe said. "Find one thing that's beautiful; one thing that proves that you're nothing like him, that the only thing you share is blood and whatever physical traits you got from him."

As she spoke, I reached out and twisted a single lock of her hair around my index finger, watching as the red hair twisted around my finger.

"Your hair is beautiful." I whispered. Zoe smiled and I brushed her hair back from her face, ducking my head and kissing her gently. Zoe's hands snaked around my neck as she kissed me back softly, pushing herself up on her toes.

"We should hurry. Before it gets dark." Zoe mumbled against my mouth. I nodded and pulled away and we started walking again.

When we reached the house, I could see immediately that somebody had trashed it. One of the front windows was broken and the front door looked as if someone had forced it open.

"They weren't kidding." Zoe said.

"Come on." I said, moving towards the front door. I cautiously opened it, glancing around. One the couches in the living room was overturned while the other looked as if someone had stabbed it with a knife. There were three holes in the wall, as if someone had punched holes in it.

I turned away from the living room, bounding up the stairs to my bedroom. I paused in the doorway, taking in the scene before me. It was probably the most wrecked of all the rooms, with all my stuff littering the floor.

"No. No, no, no, no." I said as I moved forward, collapsing on the floor among my torn books and clothes that had been strewn across the floor. I pushed the broken clothes and books aside, pressing against the floorboards. When I found the loose one, I pulled it up, revealing what I'd hidden underneath.

Hidden in the crevice under the floor sat a large photo album. I pulled it out and set it on the floor, opening it. In the plastic sleeve that formed the first page, sat a delicate silver ring with a green stone set in it, hanging on a silver chain.

I set the album down and glanced around. I spotted my guitar lying on the floor and I abandoned the book, sliding across the floor towards the wooden instrument. I checked to make sure that Dad hadn't broken it, but he seemed to have spared it. I traced the lettering carved into the neck of the instrument, sighing with relief.

Zoe came and sat beside me. "You play?"

I nodded. "I learnt because of whose guitar this was."

I removed my fingers from the neck of the guitar, so Zoe could see the writing.

"_Dear Laura,_

_Welcome to the family._

_Aidan Morgan_." Zoe read. She looked at me, a quizzical look on her face.

"My grandfather." I said. "On Dad's side. He apparently gave this to Mum when she and Dad got engaged. After Mum died, Dad gave this back but Grandpa gave it to me and said, "To remember your mother." I was two."

"And your dad let you keep it?"

"Yeah. I think after a while he just lost it and that's when he started beating me."

Zoe nodded and glanced around cautiously. She carefully got up and walked to the window, leaning on the windowsill. Then her breathing started to come in quick gasps and she moved away from the window, flattening her body against the wall.

I didn't need to be told what she'd seen. Placing Mum's guitar carefully on the floor, I crawled across the floor towards the window. I glanced at Zoe quickly before poking my head up a little, just enough that I could see out the windowsill. I couldn't see anybody, but I didn't doubt Zoe's eyesight, or her instincts.

I moved away from the window, standing up. "Nobody there."

Zoe nodded and relaxed, but she still looked nervous, as if she expected Dad to jump out and beat us both to death.

"Can we go?" Zoe whispered.

I nodded and moved back to the guitar put it in its case, pulling the strap of the case across my chest, so the instrument sat against my back and then I grabbed the photo album and picked it up, closing it.

"Let's get out of here." I said. We moved down the stairs and out the house, walking down the street towards home. As we walked, I opened the photo album and let the ring on its chain slip out onto my outstretched palm.

"Can you hold this?" I asked, passing Zoe the large book. Zoe nodded and took the book as I undid the clasp of the chain and then clasped it again around my neck. When the cool metal settled against my throat, I reached up, rolling the ring around in my fingers.

"Is that your mum's?" Zoe asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I stole it from Dad when I was younger. One thing I ever did wrong that I got away with."

"What about this?" Zoe asked, motioning to the album in her hands.

"Tenth birthday present from Grandpa. Aidan." I said. "He died not long after."

"What about your mum's side of the family?" Zoe asked.

"Most of them hate me. They have for as long as I can remember."

"Why?" Zoe asked.

"I get all the blame for Mum's death. Easier to hold a grudge against a kid who has no idea what happened over a grown man who can change their minds, I suppose."

Zoe sighed, but she didn't say anything, instead she simply took my hand, squeezing my fingers tightly. I gave her a small smile as we reached the house, bounding up the steps and walking through the door.

"Dan? Zoe? Where have you two been?" Kira called from the kitchen.

I walked into the kitchen with Zoe, being careful not to knock the guitar slung across my back against anything.

"We went to go get some of Dan's stuff." Zoe said.

"Okay. Dan, Ruby wanted to talk to you." Kira said.

"Is she in her room?"

"Last time I checked." Kira replied.

"Okay." I turned to Zoe, pulling the guitar off my back. "Can you put my stuff up in my room for me?"

Zoe nodded and kissed me quickly before taking the guitar from me and heading out the door. I followed her out, but instead of going upstairs, I moved down the corridor leading to the bathroom, stopping at the first door I came to. I knocked on it tentatively with my fist.

"Rubes? Can I come in?"

The door was suddenly flung open, revealing Ruby, still dressed in her school uniform, which consisted of a light green shirt, a dark green skirt just below the knee, a bottle green jumper and a green tie with yellow stripes on it.

It was the most hideous school uniform I'd ever seen in my life.

"Kira said you wanted to talk to me." I said.

"Oh!" Ruby said, dashing across the room to her school bag. I sat down on her bed as the girl rummaged through the bag, finally pulling out something triumphantly.

Holding it firmly in one hand, Ruby sat beside me on the bed.

"What's this?" I asked as Ruby passed me the item.

"A dream catcher." Ruby replied. I realised that it was. And I also realised that it was something that she couldn't have made. The round part of it looked wooden and it had brown string wound inside it, so it looked like a web. It had bits of brown leather attached to the bottom of it, with beads attached to those.

"To keep away the bad dreams when Zoe isn't there."

"Thank you." I said and hugged her.

"I'm sorry I scared you last night." I mumbled.

"It's okay. I forgive you." Ruby said, sitting back on the bed.

I smiled, resting the dream catcher on my leg as Ruby asked, "Dan, do you love Zoe?"

"Yes." I told her.

"Good." Ruby said. She seemed content enough at that, but I wasn't. I was extremely curious why someone of her age would ask me that.

"Why do you ask?" I asked softly, picking up the dream catcher again and twirling it around in my fingers.

Ruby suddenly became very interested in the blankets on the bed, picking at a loose strand as she avoided my question.

"I just don't want you to hurt Zoe." Ruby finally mumbled. "She acts like she's invincible, but she's not."

"Rubes, I need you to listen to me." I said, reaching over and pulling her into my lap. I picked up the dream catcher and held it front of her face and her eyes followed the object as it swung from my fingers.

"There are two nightmares that this thing can't protect me from." I told her, the dream catcher still swinging precariously between our faces.

Ruby's brow furrowed. "What are they?"

"The first one's that I'd ever lose her." I said. "The second one's that I'd ever hurt her on purpose."

Ruby smiled and leapt off the bed. "Can you play a game with me?"

"Maybe later." I told her, standing up. Ruby nodded and I walked out of the room, moving back the way I'd come, up the stairs and then into my room, the dream catcher still in my hands. I didn't believe that a clump of wood could do anything to help nightmares, but I still had full intentions of putting it up in my room to keep the little girl happy.

When I reached my room, Zoe was laying on my bed, leafing through the photo album carefully. As I watched her, watching as she twisted a lock of auburn hair around her finger, I couldn't help thinking of Frank and Stella. Ever since Sternum, they'd been happily together. In fact, they were so happy that it was almost sickening. Well, it was sickening to Tom and Aneisha. Zoe was happy for them, but the whole relationship tended to spark jealousy in me and the emotion could swirl in my chest for hours.

The first time it had happened, it was about five days after Sternum burnt to the ground. I'd locked myself away for about an hour until the feeling passed. But that didn't change the fact that it happened. The thing was that I didn't get jealous of them, I was jealous of what they had. I wanted to be with Zoe, and I was. But I wasn't completely with her. Half the time I was in my own world, thinking about my own pain.

But I didn't want to. I wanted to be the perfect boyfriend for Zoe. I wanted to be someone she _deserved. _But I wasn't. And I couldn't be. Until I sorted all my own issues out, I couldn't be the boyfriend that she deserved.

I'd never hated my father so much. It was one thing to mess my life up and I wouldn't have cared before I met Zoe. But now I did. I loved her and I'd spent so long trying to deny my feelings for her that the jealousy over the fact that I was a shell, combined with hatred for my father, made my feelings for her intensify and my want to be better become ten times stronger.

I shook my thoughts away, moving towards the curtains. I'd deal with my problems later. Zoe looked up, her green eyes following me silently as I moved towards the bedside table. I jumped up on it, being careful of the lamp and then I reached up, fastening the dream catcher to the curtain.

"I thought you didn't believe in that stuff." Zoe said.

I shrugged as I jumped back down to the floor. "I don't. But if it keeps the kid happy –" I shrugged again, flopping onto the bed across from Zoe.

"You've got a soft spot for her, don't you?" Zoe asked, smiling down at me.

"She reminds me of my cousin."

"I didn't know you had a cousin."

"I don't anymore, according to her mother." I replied, staring up at the ceiling.

Zoe sighed. "I don't know why all this stuff gets stuffed on you."

"Because I'm a teenage boy and apparently everything's my fault." I replied. "'Oh, there was a massive bushfire in Australia three years ago. It's Dan's fault.' 'There was an earthquake in Los Angeles. Oh, Dan must have done it.'" I mimicked bitterly, first my father's voice and then my aunt's. I sighed and pulled off my school jumper, throwing it backwards. I dipped my head back so it hung off the edge of the bed, watching as the jumper sailed through the air and then landed on the back of the chair. I then sighed, dragging my hands down the length of my face, closing my eyes as my hands passed them.

"Your bruises are healing." Zoe said.

"Huh?" I said intelligently, opening my eyes. I looked down at my arms. The purple bruises had changed colour and they were now either green or yellow. Zoe reached over as I dropped my arms, her fingers pushing back my hair and tracing the healing cut on my head.

I reached up with my own hand and placed it on her cheek, my thumb tracing the shape of her jaw gently. Zoe's eyes searched mine and her fingers left my cut, trailing down the side of my face, down the side of my neck and then moving to the front of my throat, her fingers tracing the chain around my neck until she found the ring, pulling it up a little and twisting it so she could see the top.

Zoe's eyes flickered to the ring as traced the jewel with one finger, murmuring, "It's pretty."

"Mm-hm." I mumbled. "Same colour as your eyes."

Zoe flushed and I sat up, turning to face her.

"You're upset about something." Zoe said gently. I ducked my head, my fingers sliding across the sheets covering the mattress. She'd hadn't asked. Zoe could always read me like a book, so she didn't need to.

I took a deep breath and when I spoke, I spoke slowly, like a little kid who'd watched a horror movie and was now trying to tell their parents what they'd seen, but they were so distraught that they couldn't get the words out, so they spoke slowly and carefully.

"I keep thinking about how happy Frank is with Stella." I said. "And every time, I keep remembering that I don't deserve you."

"Dan." Zoe said gently.

"But I don't." I said. "You're this amazing, beautiful, intelligent person and I'm just me. I'm just Dan. All I've got going for me is a pretty face. And I don't even know if the person I would be deserved you, if I wasn't just a shell."

"You do, Dan." Zoe insisted.

"I don't." I replied stubbornly.

Zoe sighed and leaned forward, her fingers sliding into my hair. She wrapped her fingers in the pale strands, gripping my hair tightly.

"I hate him. I _hate _what he's done to you." Zoe whispered. I sighed and gently pushed her down, looking away.

"Dan." Zoe said. I felt her fingers on my jaw and I reluctantly turned to look at her.

"I love you." She whispered. I didn't doubt that she did. I just wondered if she was right to love me.

**One more chapter finished! Thank you to anyone who's been reviewing, but I want to especially thank Ladycaitwolf for your review, that really made my day! :) I also want to thank rawriloveyouxo for your idea! I didn't do it exactly how you described it to me, but it wouldn't have been in there at all if it wasn't for you.**


	8. As If No-one's Watching

**Sorry I didn't update sooner! I had a scout camp to go to and we're not allowed electronics at those things. But I'm back now, with a new chapter! :) Just so you know, this one's set two weeks ahead. If you guys could do me a favour, go read Hearts Apart by ainsley25. It's a great story, but if he doesn't get another five reviews by Friday, he might delete the story. Please go and review it! **

* * *

For some reason, I couldn't concentrate.

That was usually the case in physics, especially when Mr Flatley was teaching. That might have been part of the reason I couldn't concentrate.

For the first part of the lesson, I hadn't even tried to concentrate. I'd immediately let my thoughts drift away, to Zoe sitting in front of me.

I let myself think about her voice, her eyes, her hair – I had a small obsession with the last one. We'd just be lying on my bed and I'd find myself playing with her hair, twisting it and braiding it carefully, concentrating on the way my fingers slipped through her hair.

But when I actually tried to concentrate, I couldn't do it. She crept into my mind again. When I started thinking about her lips, that's when I'd gone past the point of no return. Whenever my thoughts found their way to her lips, they gradually found their way to how she kissed, the way her mouth fit against mine, the way her _body_ fit against mine.

In the past two weeks since Zoe and I had recovered the photo album, my guitar and Mum's ring from my house, I'd changed considerably. I could feel it.

Every night, I wrote down each of Dad's rules and crossed them out. It had already started working. I no longer believed love is dangerous but some of the other rules I still had issues with. But living with Ruby and Mark and Kira and Zoe, I'd slowly started to feel happier than I ever had in sixteen years of living with Dad. I didn't have any trust issues with Mark anymore and Ruby had become like the little sister I never had. But because of Kira's motherly nature, I had trouble being alone in the same room with her for any length of time. I had the same issue with Stella and it was something that Tom had always questioned me about.

About a week after I told Frank what was going on with Dad, it was somehow made known to the school that I was physically abused by my own father. I still don't know how it happened. One day, everyone except Zoe, Tom, Aneisha and Frank had no idea about it and the next day everyone was staring at me as if I was a puppy that someone had abandoned and they didn't know what to do with me. I lost my status as the school heartthrob for nearly a few days because of it.

No one had seen Dad since the night he beat me while he was drunk and I took off to Zoe's. By now my bruises had completely disappeared, my skin returning to its usual slightly tanned colour. The cut on my head that I got when Dad shoved me had healed too. My physical injuries had healed, but the fact was that the scars on my heart were far from being healed.

Even as I was day-dreaming about Zoe, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming up, something important, but I couldn't remember what it was. It kept sitting in the back of my mind, nagging and telling me that I'd forgotten something. I wondered if I'd gotten some form of memory loss when I hit my head.

When class ended, I trudged back to home group, still trying to figure out what important event I'd forgotten. I slumped into my seat and stared at the spot just above the board, until I heard the words 'Paris' and 'School-trip' cut through my brain.

I became alert as someone dropped a sheet of paper in front of me and I picked it up. I'd definitely heard right – there was a school trip to Paris in France that would last a week and a half. We would leave the coming Monday and would return home on the second Wednesday we were there. What caught my attention, was the fact that the whole thing was completely free of charge.

I glanced over at Tom, my eyebrows raised.

_'M.I.9?'_ he mouthed silently.

I nodded. It had to be. But what confused me was that M.I.9 wanted us all to lay low for a little while. We hadn't been given any missions, especially any to Paris.

When the last bell rang, signalling the end of school for another day, we all met up outside the broom cupboard. Apparently, the girls had been thinking the same thing Tom and I had.

As the elevator drew to a stop when we reached HQ, I stormed out and slammed the information sheet down on the table. "What the hell is this?"

Frank and Stella, who were leaning against the desk and laughing, stopped giggling like schoolgirls and straightened up. Stella moved towards the sheet of paper and picked it up, her eyes quickly scanning the writing printed in black.

"What is it?" Frank asked as Stella let the paper slip through her fingers, the white sheet slowly drifting back to the table.

"Paris." Stella replied. Frank pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Here we go."

"Did you have a mission for us that you somehow _forgot_ to tell us about?"

Frank sighed again. "No. There's no mission."

"M.I.9 thought it would be best –"

"To hide me away until Dad's arrested." I finished, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Dan, we have no idea how far he is willing to go. We don't know if he just wants to hurt you, or if he wants you dead." Frank said.

"I can protect myself." I said stubbornly.

"Just like you '_protected_' yourself from him before?" Stella asked coldly. I glared at her. When she wanted to be, Stella could be a real bitch.

"Stella." Frank said quietly. Stella sighed, but she didn't say anything.

"The point is," Frank said, "we don't know what lengths he'll go to. You said that the most important lesson he taught you was to not fall in love. You have, so if he doesn't come after you, who do you think he's going to come after?"

"Zoe." I whispered. I turned around to look at Zoe, standing in between Tom and Aneisha. Zoe's green eyes were slightly wider than they usually were and she looked scared. I thought of the last time I'd seen her wear that expression.

Eventually, I realised the last time I'd seen it. At Sternum, when Steinberg had tried to transfer Mastermind's consciousness into her.

I turned back around so I was facing Frank and Stella. "Fine, I'll go. To protect her, I'll go."

"To be fair, there are worse places that we could have sent you." Frank said.

"Such as?" Tom asked.

"Afghanistan."

"You could have sent us to Australia." Zoe offered. "I've always wanted to go there."

"But what's more romantic?" Stella asked. "Uluru or the Eiffel Tower?"

Before Zoe could answer, Aneisha answered for her. "Eiffel Tower. Definitely."

I rolled my eyes at her and Zoe moved towards me. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, listening to her sigh of contentment as she rested her head against my shoulder.

* * *

"I feel like I'm missing something." I said. Zoe and I were walking home and she was watching our intertwined hands as I swung them back and forth between us.

"Like what?" Zoe asked.

"Like . . . Someone's birthday or –" I broke off when Zoe's head dipped back and she started laughing.

"What?" I asked. Zoe bit her lip as she pulled her head up and looked at me. I could still see the amusement glinting in her eyes and I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

Zoe took a deep breath and dispersed her giggles. "You do realise that your birthday's tomorrow?"

I stopped, my fingers sliding out of Zoe's. She stopped, turning around to look at me. I dragged my fingers through my hair as my eyes widened in realisation. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten my own birthday.

"How the hell did I miss that?" I asked. I glanced at Zoe and saw that she was trying to hide a smile.

"Zo, what are you planning?" I asked, moving towards her.

"Nothing." Zoe said innocently, her green eyes laced with innocence that I might have believed was genuine – if I didn't know her as well as I did.

"Zoe –" I warned, stepping towards her.

Zoe put her hands on her hips and stared me down with her intense green eyes. "Have you ever even had a birthday party, or even a proper birthday?"

Instead of retorting with_, "Have you ever even had a birthday?",_ I thought back. I recalled every birthday that I'd ever had that I could remember. And when I thought about it, I couldn't recall ever having a birthday party. I couldn't remember ever receiving presents from Dad. The closest I ever came was that he never hit me on my birthday.

"No." I answered simply, raising my eyes to look at her.

"So, is the issue that you don't want one, or that you're not used to the fact that you're getting one?" Zoe asked.

I watched the ground surrounding my feet, half-hoping that it would open up and swallow me. I loved her, but I hated that she could do this to me. I hated that she could get into my head and work out what I was thinking just by asking me a simple question.

"I don't know." I said finally, pulling my head back up to look at her.

Zoe sighed and moved towards me. I embraced her tightly as she reached me, resting my head against the top of hers. As usual, she felt delicate in my arms, as if she'd break if I held her too tight. But at the same time, she felt strong against me, as if living in SKUL for fifteen years had forced her to make a choice, to break down or to be strong, and she'd chosen to be strong and as a result, it rolled off of her in waves.

"I love you." I mumbled, burying my face in her hair.

"I love you too." Zoe murmured, shifting slightly so her face was hidden in the crook of my neck.

It was one of the most intimate moments we'd ever had, but some deep, dark part of my brain couldn't help wondering how strange we looked to the people in the cars driving past; the two teenagers sharing an intimate embrace in the middle of the street, as if no one was watching.


	9. Birthday

**I am so sorry that I haven't updated! Our internet ran out and we've only just got it back so this is the soonest I could update! For being so patient, I've given you guys an extra-long chapter! I hope you enjoy it!**

The next morning I trudged downstairs lethargically, as if I'd only gotten an hour's sleep, although I'd actually collapsed in bed pretty early. I'd probably asked myself a thousand times how I'd forgotten my own birthday and tried to figure it out about a million times, but all that resulted in was making me tired.

When I was halfway through my breakfast, Zoe flitted downstairs, as graceful and as beautiful as a butterfly, as always. Ruby danced in behind her, but her footfalls were too heavy and she kind of resembled a baby elephant trying to do ballet.

Zoe was unusually happy as she started getting breakfast for herself and Ruby, humming some song that sounded familiar but I couldn't place. Meanwhile, Ruby hugged me tightly and practically yelled, "Happy birthday, Dan!"

"Thanks." I mumbled as Zoe finished making Ruby's breakfast and the small girl climbed off me, walking around the table to where Zoe had placed her breakfast.

Zoe carried her own breakfast around the table and sat beside me. I turned my head to look at her and smiled slightly as she leaned across and kissed me gently, one of her hands resting on my shoulder.

I kissed back, but then Zoe pulled away, resting her forehead against mine and whispering, "Happy birthday, Daniel."

I reached out and touched her cheek, my fingertips sliding lightly across her skin.

"Happy birthday, Dan." Mark said as he entered with Kira and they both fixed themselves breakfast. I simply grunted in response and turned back to my breakfast.

"Dan?" Ruby asked.

I glanced at her, waiting expectantly for her to ask me whatever she wanted to ask me.

"Do you always get PMS on your birthday?" Ruby asked.

Beside me, Zoe started laughing.

"How do you even know what that is?" I asked her.

"She doesn't." Zoe replied between giggles. "She thinks it means grumpy."

"You still haven't answered my question." Ruby said, crossing her arms and pouting.

I sighed. "I'm just not used to a . . . happy birthday, Rubes." I said. "That's all."

"Oh." Ruby said. "Okay."

And then she went back to eating her breakfast and I was glad for Ruby's short attention span.

All I heard that day was 'Happy birthday' and 'Paris'. By the end of the day, when I was walking home with Tom, the two phrases were ringing in my ears. Zoe and Aneisha had gone to my foster home to start setting up for whatever they had planned for my birthday and they'd practically ordered me to go home with Tom. They'd actually ordered Tom not to let me out of his sight, which was pretty pointless. Zoe could tell me to jump off a cliff and I'd probably do it, just because it was what she wanted.

And I hadn't wanted anything special for my birthday anyway. So why would I sneak into it early?

Maybe the girls had told Tom to keep an eye on me because they were worried I'd sneak off so I wouldn't have to go.

Tom sighed as we entered his house, dumping his bag in the hallway. Zoe had taken mine, so I just followed Tom upstairs to his room.

"Where's your parents?" I asked.

Tom grunted as he pushed his bedroom door open, flinging himself onto the bed. He shrugged as he shifted himself into a more comfortable. "I dunno. Dad's probably at work and God knows what Mum's doing. I didn't tell you, did I?" Tom asked.

"Tell me what?" I asked.

"They're getting divorced." Tom replied, staring up at the ceiling.

"Oh." I said, dropping into the bean bag that Tom kept in one corner of the room. "Tom, I'm so sorry."

Tom shrugged. "It's not your fault."

"How long?" I asked.

"They told me two days before I found out about your Dad." Tom replied. "I was a little upset at first, but then when I saw your bruises and I found out about your dad . . . Well, I decided that there are worst things that could happen to me."

"Yeah, well . . ." I mumbled. "I suppose you're right. But even my situation could have been worse."

"How the hell could have been worse?" Tom said.

"He could have rarely fed me, but he didn't. He could have kept me locked up in the basement, but he didn't."

"I don't care." Tom replied. "He's still an asshole and I still hate him, no matter how much worse it could have been."

I sighed and raked my fingers through my hair. "The weird thing is that even after everything he's done to me, even as we're being uprooted to France and even as he's endangering Zoe, I still don't hate him. I still respect him."

"Well you should hate him." Tom replied, sitting up.

"If you say so." I replied. I twisted my head back, looking up at Tom's collection of Blade Quest video games.

"Do you have anything normal?" I asked.

"I've got Halo and Call of Duty somewhere." Tom replied. He stood up and moved towards the bookcase behind me that held all his video games. Finally he stepped back with two cases in hand. I guessed they were Call of Duty and Halo.

"COD or Halo?" Tom asked.

"Is Halo the one where you shoot aliens?" I asked.

Tom nodded and I pulled my bean bag over to the T.V that Tom kept in one corner of his room with nearly every gaming system known to man connected to it. "We'll play that. I'm in the mood to shoot some aliens."

Tom nodded and turned on one of the consoles, I think it was an Xbox 360.

"God, is that a Nintendo 64?" I joked, pointing to a PlayStation 2. Tom rolled his eyes as he grabbed two controllers and passed one to me.

"Just because you're a caveman, doesn't mean everyone else is." Tom said, sitting down on the floor beside me.

"Shut up, Tupper." I told him as the game started up and we started shooting aliens.

We played Halo for a few hours until Tom's phone beeped. He paused it and then quickly read the text before he moved forward, shutting off the Xbox.

"Time to go." Tom said. He then moved to the bookcase and threw some clothes at me and said, "Put them on." Before disappearing out the door.

I shrugged before pulling the clothes on. I noticed immediately that they were mine; they were my own jeans, my own black t-shirt and a brown leather jacket, one that was similar to the one I was wearing the day I was recruited to M.I.9. I found a pair of my shoes sitting by the door and I pulled them on as Tom walked back in, dressed in jeans and a grey hoodie.

I sighed. "Let's get this birthday over with."

* * *

As soon as I bounded up the front steps, I could tell something was off. It was too quiet.

My first thought was that KORPS had come and massacred everyone, taking Zoe with them. The imagery that flashed through my mind at the idea, of Kira and Mark and Ruby and Aneisha lying dead on the floor in pools of their own blood, was enough to make me feel sick.

My second thought was that Dad had come and taken Zoe and everyone was out looking for her. Almost immediately, I brushed it off. If Dad had come, someone would have told me. Surely.

Even though I knew that both possibilities were highly unlikely, I could feel unease twisting and twirling in my gut as I turned the knob on the front door and pushed it open, walking inside with Tom behind me.

"Hello?" I asked. "Neish? Ruby? Zoe, Babe?"

Tom and I both moved into the living room. The lights were off, just like the rest of the house. The unease started doing somersaults. This was bad. This was really bad.

My mind started going at three hundred kilometres per hour, trying to figure out what might have happened.

My hand slowly reached for the light switch, but before I got even close, someone else flipped it on. As my eyes adjusted, five shapes jumped out and yelled, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

As my eyes slowly adjusted to the light, I recognised who was in the room with Tom and I. I could see Mark and Kira standing together. Ruby was standing by Kira's leg, a massive grin on her small face. She was the only one in the whole room dressed even remotely formally, wearing a red dress that reached just below her knees. The sentiment was lost in the fact that Ruby wasn't wearing any shoes. Aneisha was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room, grinning as she watched in amusement.

And in the middle of the room, stood Zoe, looking as if she'd just organised the Queen's birthday party instead of mine.

I glanced around. "Please tell me you haven't got One Direction hiding in the corner."

"Pfft." Zoe replied, stepping towards me. "Those twelve-year-olds are idiots."

"And this is why I love you." I told her, embracing her tightly.

"Happy birthday, Dan." Zoe mumbled and pressed a kiss to the side of my neck.

"Presents!" Ruby cried as Zoe and I pulled apart.

"Fine." Zoe said. "Just relax, Rubes."

Zoe walked around, behind the couch and emerged with an assortment of wrapped presents.

"Zoe –" I started.

"Stop whining. It's your seventeenth birthday, not your seventh." Zoe said, cutting me off. I sighed, but I let it go. She was determined that I'd have a birthday and although if it was anything else, she would have let it go, she'd set her mind to me having a normal birthday.

So I was going to have a normal birthday.

"I wanna give him the first one!" Ruby cried, bursting forward. Zoe knelt down, holding the presents out for her. Ruby carefully selected one as I settled myself on the floor and waited patiently.

Tom moved to stand beside Aneisha as Ruby decided on what present she wanted to give me and moved towards me, practically shoving the wrapped box into my face. "Happy birthday, Dan."

"Thanks, Rubes." I said, taking the box from her and slowly removing the wrapping paper.

"Just take it off." Mark said. I glanced at him and grinned before gripping the paper tightly and pulling it off.

"Happy now?" I asked.

"Meh." Mark replied.

And I must have torn through countless sheets of wrapping paper in the time frame of about half an hour. When I was done, a stack was placed carefully beside me. Most of it was stuff for my guitar; a heap of new picks, a new strap which had my name sewn into it and a new tuner.

"Just one more." Mark said. "Zoe."

Zoe got up from her spot beside me and moved, again, to behind the couch. I watched her curiously as she emerged with a unusually-shaped wrapped present in her hands. She glanced around. "I suppose you want me to give it to him?"

Tom grinned. "It was your idea."

Zoe shrugged and sat down in front of me, pushing the object forward. "Happy birthday, Dan."

I gave her a small smile as I tore at the paper, peeling it away from the object. As the paper was peeled away, a leather guitar case was revealed. I flipped it open, revealing a brand-new jet black guitar. Curiously, I picked it up, drawing the instrument into my lap. As I did so, my fingers brushed against the neck of the guitar, feeling the small grooves carved into the wood. I carefully turned it over and read the writing engraved in the back of the guitar.

_"Dan,_

_Sometimes demons are angels in disguise._

_Zoe_." I read aloud. I looked up, my eyes searching Zoe's. She smiled sheepishly and looked away.

"I wanted to put Tom and Neish's names on there but they wouldn't let me."

"It was your idea." Aneisha replied.

Zoe shrugged and looked back at me, her eyes shining with love. "I wanted you to have something special. Something that would mean something to you."

"Thank you." I whispered, reaching out and touching her hand. Zoe smiled and gently put the guitar back in its case. She crawled closer and wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. Her mouth felt soft and I pulled her closer, uncaring that we were surrounded by people. I felt Zoe's grip on my neck tighten, her fingers slipping underneath my necklace.

"I love you." I mumbled, pressing my forehead against hers.

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, I woke up alone. It was weird, because I could remember falling into bed with Zoe beside me the previous night. Sighing, I rolled out of bed and trudged downstairs. Ruby was sitting at the table, playing on her iPod.

"Where's Zoe?" I asked, grabbing a bowl and some cereal and joining Ruby at the table.

"She went shopping with Aneisha." Ruby replied. "To get dresses."

I nodded. Apparently we were going to be having some kind of ball while we were in Paris, so of course Aneisha would yank Zoe out to buy dresses with her.

"Have fun last night, Dan?" Mark asked as he entered.

"Yeah. Thanks. Best birthday I've ever had." I replied.

"Good to know. But you should be telling Zoe that, not me. It was all her idea."

I smiled. "I imagine that it was."

Mark started to say something, but was cut off by my phone ringing. I pulled it out and saw on the caller ID that it was Zoe.

"Hey babe." I said, answering and holding it to my ear.

"Dan." Zoe whimpered on the other line. "There's some guy following us and I – I think it's your dad."

I cursed under my breath and Mark and Ruby looked at me in shock, but I ignored them as I moved from the table. I found my shoes and slipped them on as I asked, "Are you closer to here or Aneisha's or Tom's?"

"Tom's." Zoe said softly.

"Go there. I'll be there as soon as I can." I told her. "I'll ring Tom and tell him what's happening."

Zoe let out a long, shuddering breath. "Okay. Dan, I love you."

"I love you too." I said and then Zoe hung up. I walked back into the kitchen and Mark looked at me expectantly.

"I need you to drive me to Tom's." I said.

"Why?" Mark asked, getting up from his seat.

"Someone's following the girls and Zoe thinks it's my father." I replied. Mark nodded and turned to Ruby.

"Sweetie, stay here. Mummy's here and she'll look after you."

Ruby nodded as Mark and I walked out, out of the house to the car. As I climbed into the front passenger seat, I dialled Tom's number, waiting impatiently for him to pick up.

"Hello?" Tom asked. His voice sounded thick; I must've woken him up.

"Tom, thank God you answered." I said. "The girls are headed over there now."

"Okay, why?"

"Some guy is following them and Zoe thinks it's my dad and your house is closest."

On the other end of the line, Tom cursed. "I can see them out the window."

I heard dull pounding, he must have been running down the stairs.

"Tom." I said, my voice breaking.

"Yeah."

"Keep her safe. I trust her with my life. I'm trusting you with her's."

"He won't touch her, Dan. I promise." Tom said and then he hung up.

"Please tell me we're close." I practically begged as I shoved my phone into my pocket and Mark swung the car around a corner a little too fast and I was flung against the door.

"Nearly. Two more blocks." Mark replied.

When we finally reached Tom's house, I was out of the car before Mark had even breaked; banging loudly on the door with my fist. The door was flung open, revealing Tom standing there, a baseball bat held loosely in one hand. When he saw that it was me, he stepped aside to let me and Mark through and then slammed it shut behind us, sliding the deadbolt across.

I moved into the living room, where I could see Zoe and Aneisha sitting on the floor, shopping bags beside them. Zoe didn't have a weapon, but Aneisha had a baseball bat lying across her lap. Unlike Tom's, which was wooden, Aneisha's was made from metal.

"Zoe." I said, stepping into the room. Zoe turned, her green eyes filling with relief as she flung herself towards me, her arms wrapping around my neck. I buried my face in her hair and held her tightly as she rested her head against my shoulder and took a deep breath.

"Dan." Aneisha said. I slowly pulled away from Zoe, moving towards the window. I looked outside and my breath hitched in my throat.

My father was standing across the road, a malicious smirk on his face.

"Oh God." I whispered and yanked the curtains across, so Dad couldn't see us and we couldn't see him. I leaned against the wall as my breath started coming in quick, rasping gasps and my hands grasped at the wall against my back, trying to find something to hold onto, to steady myself with.

"Dan!" Zoe cried, grabbing my arm and easing me into one of the armchairs. She leaned down a little, so she was eye-level with me.

"Dan." Zoe said, her voice soft, but with underlying panic. "You need to breathe."

I gripped the armchair tightly, until the knuckles in both my hands turned white, but I forced myself to focus on the colour of Zoe's eyes and to breathe normally. As I worked to pull air into my lungs at a regular rate, I felt Zoe's hand move across my forearm gently.

I finally managed to get my breathing under control and Zoe sighed in relief, rocking back on her heels.

"Thank you." I whispered. Zoe nodded and turned, so she was sitting with her back against the armchair, between my legs. I reached out and ran my fingers through her hair, listening as Zoe sighed and leaned the side of her head against my knee.

"That was amazing." Tom said as he walked in, sitting beside Aneisha.

"Yeah." Aneisha agreed. "How much First Aid training do you have?"

"None." Zoe replied. "Everything I know – it's trial and error. When I was younger, I used to hyperventilate whenever I thought about the future too much. After I blacked out twice, I worked out that I wasn't getting enough oxygen and that's why I was passing out." She twisted her head so she was looking up at me. "I just wish there was someone there to calm me down."

I smiled and reached out, trailing my fingers across the skin of her cheek.

"He's gone. Dan, Zoe, let's go." Mark said as he entered. "Aneisha, I'll drop you home."

I nodded as we all got up, following Mark out to the car.

* * *

When Zoe, Mark and I finally arrived home, Kira was standing in the hallway with her arms crossed, an unusual mix of anger and worry on her face.

"What is going on?" Kira asked.

Quickly, Mark explained to Kira what had happened. As Mark talked, Zoe grabbed my hand, squeezing my fingers tightly. I gave her a weak smile as Mark finished and Kira's gaze flitted to me and Zoe, standing very close together.

"Are you two okay?"

I nodded and Kira sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She waved her free hand dismissively and Zoe and I ducked upstairs. As Zoe stashed the bag containing whatever she'd bought in her wardrobe, I collapsed on her bed, twisting my head to the side. I noticed the picture sitting on her bedside table and I reached out, picking it up. It was of Zoe and I, when we'd had to go to Blade Con. for a mission. Zoe was dressed as Zandu the Elf and I was dressed as Luke Blade, with my hair spiked up in every possible direction. Zoe and I were standing very close together and I had one arm around Zoe's shoulders, a toy sword clutched in my hand. The toy quiver that hung from Zoe's shoulder held fake arrows and a fake bow and the ends of the arrows were touching my cheek. We both appeared to be laughing, but there was something in my eyes, something that screamed that there was more to me than just a blonde teenage boy. I couldn't remember being even a little unhappy in the moment when the photo was taken, but then I hadn't been exactly happy.

I thought back to the way Dad had reacted when I told him I thought I was falling for Zoe, the way he'd shoved me off the chair, thrown me around as if I weighed no more than a feather.

I put the photo back on Zoe's bedside table as she lay down beside me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"You okay?" Zoe asked, resting one of her hands on my stomach.

"Mm-hm." I mumbled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I was just thinking about when I told my dad that I was falling in love with you."

Zoe twisted her head up to look at me. "What did he do?"

"He shoved me off a chair and hit me until I passed out."

Zoe's brow furrowed. "Was that just after we arrested William Todd-Williams?"

I nodded.

"I remember that week. You had a cut, here," Zoe said, reaching out and touching the side of my head. "I just thought . . . I thought you got it when Todd-Williams pushed you down."

"I wish." I mumbled. Zoe sighed and her eyes drifted to the photo on her bedside table, of Luke Blade and Zandu the Elf. She smiled and looked up at me, a mischievous glint in her catlike green eyes. "Why did you start liking Blade Quest?"

"I told you why." I said, wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

"Then why do I get the feeling that that's not the whole reason?" Zoe asked.

"Okay. You did look really good in that costume." I said. My gaze flickered quickly to Zoe's wardrobe before moving back to her. "I supposed Aneisha's forbidden me from seeing your dress?"

"You suppose right." Zoe replied. "God, I'd hate to know what she'd be like with a wedding dress."

I laughed, tracing an invisible pattern on her hip. Zoe shifted, swinging one leg over my hips as she kissed me, her hands moving into my hair as she pushed herself closer to me.

Suddenly it hit me, that I could have lost her.

I pulled her even closer, pressing soft kisses to her mouth as I gently turned her over, so she was lying beneath me. I pulled back a little, watching her eyes as she lazily opened them, revealing beautiful green eyes that were so full of love that it made my heart ache because I knew, just from that look in her eye, that she'd never loved anyone as much as she loved me.

I suddenly remembered one of the first nights I'd slept in this house, the night Zoe kissed each one of my bruises.

"Can I try something?" I whispered, my mouth nearly brushing hers as I spoke. Zoe nodded once, her eyes looking up at me curiously as I pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of her mouth, my eyes flickering upwards to watch her reaction. Zoe gasped, her hands flying up to grip my shoulders as my mouth moved across her jaw.

I smiled against her skin as my mouth moved down to her neck, kissing every bare inch of skin I could find. Zoe gasped in my ear, her arms winding around my neck and her skin brushing against my necklace. I stopped myself from trembling and distantly, some part of me found it amazing that she had this effect on me, even when she was doing absolutely nothing.


	10. City of Drama

**I am eternally sorry for the quality of this chapter. It is absolute crap and most of it's just people talking. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up either sometime tonight or tomorrow.**

* * *

The flight to Paris would had the potential to be the most boring flight of my life.

Somehow, it wasn't.

"Melissa's watching us." Zoe whispered, her gaze travelling to the side slightly. I turned my head in time to see Melissa's burning glare turn into a sickeningly sweet smile that was so fake that it made her face look as if it was breaking in two.

The imagery of that actually happening forced its way into my mind and I grinned as I twisted my head back around to look at Zoe. She smiled, her eyes searching mine carefully. "Dan? What's so funny?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. It's nothing."

"You don't laugh at nothing." Zoe replied softly.

"Imagine that fake smile cracking Melissa's face in half." I said, lowering my voice so that only Zoe would hear. Zoe's gaze travelled over to the subject of our conversation and then erupted into giggles, before biting her lip to stop them.

I smiled and kissed her forehead, brushing auburn hair out of her eyes as I did so. I let my hand trail down the side of her face as I drew back, watching as Zoe closed her eyes, leaning her head into my hand.

I smiled as I stroked my thumb over her cheekbone, winding my other arm around her waist and pulling her closer and kissing her gently.

"Romeo and Juliet, at it again." I heard a voice say above us. I bit back a groan of annoyance as Zoe pulled away, burying her face in my neck as I looked up. I could see Tom and Aneisha leaning on the back of their seats. Aneisha had a mischievous glint in her eye and Tom's brown eyes were focused on her, a small smile playing on his mouth.

I grinned up at him and Tom's eyes turned to me, shooting me a sharp glare.

"Are you ever going to stop that?" I asked, turning to Aneisha.

"Don't bet on it." Aneisha replied, grinning. "It's too much fun teasing you two."

Zoe lifted her head, shooting the dark-skinned girl a cold look. "Screw you."

For some reason, Tom and I found Zoe's words and Aneisha's reaction hilarious. As Zoe's head dropped back onto my shoulder and Aneisha stared at the back of her head with an astonished look, Tom and I both erupted into laughter.

Aneisha shot me a quick glare and pulled at my hair. I reached up and swatted her hand away. "Go back to your boyfriend, Jones."

Aneisha glanced at Tom, her eyebrows raised in surprise. Then she turned back to me, that astonished look still on her face. "Are you serious?"

"That's absolutely insane." Tom added.

"Right." I replied. Aneisha sighed and moved back into her seat. Tom gave me a sharp look before going back to his own seat. I sighed and turned back around so I was facing the front and I rested my head on my knees. "Can I go hibernate? For a year?"

"No." Zoe replied, moving so she was more comfortable and then putting her head on my shoulder. "No, you can't. I'd miss you too much."

I smiled and kissed her forehead, closing my eyes and allowing myself to fall asleep.

* * *

When I woke up, someone was shaking me and whispering my name. I jolted forward in my seat, causing someone beside me to erupt into laughter. I turned to look at Zoe and she grinned at me, her happiness lighting up her whole face.

I glanced around. "We haven't landed yet. Why'd you wake me up?"

"Temperamental male." Zoe mumbled. Then louder, she said, "Come look at this."

She slid towards the window and I sat behind her, peering over her shoulder. I pressed a kiss to her hair and I glanced out the window, down at the city below us. I smiled gently, pulling Zoe's hair so it gathered on her right shoulder and exposed the left side of her face and neck. I leaned forward, so my lips brushed against her earlobe as I whispered, "Welcome to the city of love."

I smiled as I felt Zoe shiver, even though it wasn't even remotely cold in the airplane. I moved slowly towards her jaw, pressing a soft kiss to the point where her jaw met her neck.

Zoe let out a strangled gasp, one of her hands reaching behind her. She wrapped her fingers around my wrist and I paused, waiting for her to tell me to stop.

I waited until my self-control was pulled so tightly, I could feel it slowly snapping and unravelling to the point where I had to ball one of my hands into a fist so tightly that my knuckles turned white and my nails dug into my palm, shooting pain up my arm. But even as my self-control was quickly diminishing, I stopped myself. I didn't want to force Zoe to do anything she didn't want to do.

Finally Zoe took a deep breath and whispered, "Not here, Dan."

I looked up at her through my eyelashes – I could see the catlike green of her eyes and the delicate shape of her jaw, but my sandy-coloured lashes concealed the rest of her face. "You want me to stop?"

Zoe started to groan, but then she stopped herself, biting her lip. "Not really. But Dan –"

She never finished. I pulled away from her, flopping back into the seat. Zoe sighed and curled up beside me, resting her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

* * *

MI9 had really outdone themselves this time. The hotel looked as if it may have been a mansion at some point. It was so ridiculously grand that all the girls – and most of the guys too – shut up and just stared at our surroundings.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Aneisha asked, looking around with bright brown eyes. I noticed Tom watching her with that slightly awestruck look again, but he looked away before I could say anything.

Ignoring Aneisha's question, Mr McNab started listing off who was sharing rooms with whom. He listed off the girls first and I was strangely relieved to hear that Zoe was sharing a room with Aneisha, not Melissa. That would have been like a bomb exploding, because Melissa would drive Zoe insane and then Zoe would have slapped her across the face.

I listened distantly until I heard my name, Tom's name and then a number. When McNab got through everyone, he said, "You've got three hours of free time. Then you've got an hour and a half to get ready for this dance tonight."

Then he waved us off, obviously happy to get rid of us all for a few hours. Zoe managed to squeeze my fingers and give me a small smile before Aneisha pulled her away. I smiled as I watched their retreating backs, before turning to Tom, who just rolled his eyes in amusement. I shrugged my shoulders as I followed him up the staircase, to our room. As soon as Tom opened the door, he flung himself onto the bed that had all his stuff piled onto it, burying his face in the pillow. I bit back a laugh as I moved towards the other bed, picking my guitar case up off the floor as I did so. I collapsed on the bed and I pull my guitar out if its case and started tuning it. It was the new one – the one Zoe had given me for my birthday. As attached as I was to Mum's guitar, I couldn't bear the idea that something might happen to it while we were in Paris, so I'd brought the newer one instead.

"So what's the deal with you and Aneisha?" I asked absentmindedly, glancing between my guitar tuner and the guitar tuning keys. I heard Tom groan and I bit back a smile as he sat up. "Don't you dare start that shit."

I raised my eyebrows. Of all the people I knew, Tom was among those that cursed very little.

"Just relax, Tupper." I told him. "I was just asking."

Tom rolled his eyes in annoyance and looked away. I stopped tuning my guitar and I watched him carefully, leaning forward. Finally Tom turned back to me, looking more pissed off than I'd ever seen him, ever believed he could be and he snapped, "What?"

"This isn't about Aneisha, is it?" I asked, unfazed by his anger. "You're pissed about your parents and you're just taking it out on me."

The anger faded from Tom's face a little, but then his jaw set stubbornly and it was back again at full force, but it still didn't throw me. I recognised the look in his eye – it was slightly different, because his circumstances were different to my own, but the look was similar. His eyes looked more sad than anything else, but his forced anger covered it slightly – it blurred it like a film, but it didn't make it go away.

"Tom –" I started .

"No!" He exploded. "Don't you dare tell me you know what it feels like, because you don't! You have no idea!"

I fought the urge to shout back at him as I set my guitar aside. I didn't want to be like Dad – I didn't want to lose it every time I got even remotely angry.

"I never said I know what it feels like." I said quietly.

"You were going to!" Tom shouted.

"For God's sake." I hissed. "Don't you dare tell me that I don't understand pain! Okay, your parents are splitting up. I get that that's got to hurt, but there's worse things that could happen. I don't even remember my own mother and my own father beat up nearly every day for sixteen years! Don't you dare lecture me about pain."

"Get out." Tom said; his voice low and dangerous. I glared at him and put my guitar back in its case before I stormed out and started wandering around the hotel, looking at all the old paintings that hung on the walls as my anger slowly boiled down to nothing.

When I passed one of the rooms, a slender blur with flowing auburn hair stepped out and flung itself at me. I wrapped my arms around Zoe tightly and buried my face in Zoe's hair, taking a deep breath.

"You okay?" Zoe whispered, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. I nodded, sighing softly into her hair. "So you heard?"

"You yelled loud enough." Zoe mumbled.

"What happened?" Aneisha asked from behind Zoe. Zoe pulled away, turning to face Aneisha as I said, "We got into a fight, what do you think, Neish?"

"Has anyone checked to see if Tom's okay?" Aneisha asked, sighing as she stormed off.

"Great." I mumbled. "I've managed to piss two people off in ten minutes."

"Dan." Zoe whispered, turning around to face me and touching my arm. I sighed and rested my forehead against hers as Zoe's hand came up to rest on my cheek.

"I lost it." I said softly, my shoulders trembling slightly. "He started yelling and talking about pain . . . and I just lost it."

Zoe pushed up on her toes, kissing my mouth gently. My arms wound around her, holding her close. She felt warm against me, but that was just Zoe. I think because she was a clone of Mastermind, she naturally ran a higher body temperature than I did. It wasn't that high of a temperature – it was just enough that if I didn't know any better, I'd think she was running a slight fever.

"You're both going through stuff." Zoe said as she pulled away, her eyes searching mine. "You were both bound to explode at each other at some point."

I tried to nod, but the action was somehow lost in my brain and the action never occurred. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was my own fault; that if I'd just kept my mouth shut, Tom and I wouldn't have gotten into a contest to see who could yell the loudest.

I sighed and closed my eyes as Zoe reached up wound her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. I heard footsteps and I looked up to see Aneisha walking towards us. She still looked pissed off, but not as much as she was before she went to check on Tom.

"How is he?" I asked as Zoe let me go, turning around.

"He's fine, with no thanks to you." Aneisha replied.

I looked down guiltily and swallowed past the lump in my throat. "I should probably go talk to him."

"Probably." Aneisha agreed, her brown eyes flashing dangerously at me. I kissed Zoe's temple before I started off towards the room I shared with Tom. I could feel both the girls' eyes boring holes into my back. I hunched my shoulders as I turned the corner, walking in a haze until I reached the door I was looking for. Cautiously, I pushed open the door and walked in, closing the door behind me. Tom looked up and I saw tears sparkling in his muddy-coloured eyes, guilt causing my chest to tighten.

Nice job, Morgan. A voice hissed in the back of my head, which sounded a little like Dad. You've made your best friend cry.

I shoved the voice away, gagging it so it couldn't make my guilt trip even worse.

I knew I'd made him cry. I didn't need reminding.

"You okay?" I asked cautiously, sitting down on my bed. Tom shook his head and laughed bitterly.

"I guess pain's something new to me." He mumbled.

I shrugged. I felt like I should do something more than just sit there lamely, but what could I do? It wasn't like with Zoe – who I could just hold and tell her that I loved her and that everything would be fine.

"I thought everything was fine." Tom mumbled. "And suddenly they're telling me it's not."

I shrugged again. "Welcome to the club."

Tom stared at me, this intense look on his face. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. I wasn't used to people gaping at me like I was something precious, that I needed to be dealt with carefully.

"Stop staring at me." I said finally, pulling out my guitar. I started plucking at the strings softly, barely concentrating on what I was playing.

"Do you play that thing just because girls like guys who can play an instrument?" Tom asked suddenly.

"Mum played it." I said quietly. "It's got nothing to do with what girls like."

"Oh." Tom said quietly. He looked away guiltily and I asked, "You wanted to learn so you can impress all the girls? Or just Neish?"

"Something like that." He mumbled, and then he yelled, "Hey!"

He threw a pillow at me, but it went wide, not even hitting the bed. I laughed and Tom rolled his eyes, falling back onto his back on top of the bed.

"Remind me to never let you use a gun." I told him, pushing hair out of my eyes.

"Yeah. Like I'm ever going to use one of those." Tom replied sarcastically. "I'd probably shoot myself in the foot."

I couldn't help it. The idea that Tom would shoot his own foot was too funny. I started laughing, but then Tom mock-glared at me, so I managed to push it back.

"Okay. Since you won't let me laugh at the idea of shooting yourself in the foot, I'm going to ask you something." I said.

"I don't like where this is going." Tom grumbled.

"Do you like Neish?" I asked.

"I'm answering that." Tom replied. "I never grilled you about Zoe."

That's because Dad did it for you.

I didn't say that, though.

"I'm sure Zoe and I can come up with nicknames . . ." I said.

"Okay, fine!" Tom cried. "I like her! Stop being cruel, will you?"

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" I asked. Tom tried to glare at me, but he just flopped back onto the bed, covering his eyes with his hand.


End file.
